Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Linda Lane has recently announced another round of school closings to further their efforts of reducing the swollen deficit. This comes on the tail of teacher furloughs and other lay offs.
Five schools in total are slated to close as a result of declining enrollment which continues to decline despite the Pittsburgh Promise. Sadly, the President of the School Board, my opponent, and PPS administrators are shamelessly placing blame on State budget cuts for the District’s money troubles.
Instead of tackling the enrollment losses, PPS administration chooses to close neighborhood schools that are vital to the communities they serve. Unfortunately, an estimated $8M will be saved at best. However, the School District will still be liable for the buildings, as they are for the buildings from the last school closings that still have not sold.
Langley High is proposed to reopen as a K-8 school, and the students shipped to the already overcrowded Brashear High. However, major renovations would need to be done first to accommodate the younger age group. Oliver High, which was to replace the trade school that closed several years ago, will now replace McNaugher.
It is unclear as to the criteria used to determine which buildings to close and which to remain open. For example, schools in need of serious repairs, like Woolslair, are slated to remain open, while schools in good condition, like Northview, are slated to close.
I doubt the sincerity of the current School Board struggles to reduce the debt and to deflate the managerial bloat. Several administrative positions recently cut were simply vacancies they later filled, positions they renamed, or became consultant positions.
For example, after admitting the district is top heavy, the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives position was cut. However, the Executive Director was simply placed on “special assignment.”
They’re playing a shell game, pretending to cut administration. At least five new executive administration positions were created in June. At least six new executive administration positions were stealthily created in July...and a Women’s Studies consultant was hired!
The Allegheny Institute (AI) was the first to report that ‘the size of non-teachers had risen tremendously over the last five years whereas the ratio of teachers had remain flat’while student enrollment declined. So it is no surprise, according to the Institute’s most recent audit, that 'building square footage has exhibited a similar trend and that, in the latest rounds of cuts, no administrative space is disappearing.’
Since 2000, AI reports that PPS closed 29 schools, losing 2,445,000 square feet (SF) of classroom space. Concurrently, the amount of office space almost doubled over the last 10 years. Administrators gained 261,000 SF, while the students are expected to lose more classroom space.
Again the shuffling and merging of rival neighborhoods will disrupt the education of our children. In addition, there will be less teacher interaction with the students since the ratio of students to teacher will again mushroom. It would seem though that teacher-student interaction is a low priority for the School Board and PPS administrators. Regrettably, the children and the taxpayers will pay the price for further right sizing of the District.
The President of the School Board is more concerned with preserving the National limelight of the PPS District than she is with ensuring that our children are educated and the taxpayer’s money is spent wisely. The City schools bloat is directly related to the initiatives of Gates’ money. As the number of administrators and nonteaching staff increased, so did the cost to educate a student.
Over the last 5 years, the educational cost per student rose from $16,900 to $20,900, even though the number of students dropped by 4,000. Once the Gates’ money is gone, the taxpayers will be asked to pick up the bill for these unwarranted initiatives. Included in this bill is $125,000 per year to UPMC for their student shadowing program.
Over the last 5 years, the educational cost per student rose from $16,900 to $20,900, even though the number of students dropped by 4,000. Once the Gates’ money is gone, the taxpayers will be asked to pick up the bill for these unwarranted initiatives. Included in this bill is $125,000 per year to UPMC for their student shadowing program.
I am not in favor of consolidating schools, but the current School Board has managed to back themselves into a corner leaving little options. One option that I will not support is an increase in property/real estate taxes. I refuse to ask the taxpayers to finance the current School Board’s mismanagement of their money. Perhaps delinquent taxes should be collected first before asking those who do pay to pay more!
