Two weeks ago, a consultant hired by PPS presented a proposal intended to streamline the district’s finances. The proposal, should it be adopted, turned heads over its proposal to close 16 schools, with two new facilities being opened. The number of PPS schools would be reduced by almost 30%, from 54 to 40. The only high school being closed is Carrick, though several other high schools will see major changes.

SciTech, along with CAPA, Westinghouse, and Obama will have their middle school programs closed and become 9-12 schools. SciTech and Obama will become neighborhood magnets, meaning students in their neighborhood will have guaranteed entry. UPrep Milliones, a 6-12 school, will become a 6-8 school with its remaining high school students attending SciTech. The proposal also recommended widespread renovations of surviving schools, with features such as science labs and air conditioning becoming standard.

Financial efficiency has been cited as the main reason for the reform. Despite shrinking its operating deficit from $30 million to just $2.2 million, the ESSER pandemic relief funds the district has relied on will expire next month. Starting with his run for the office in 2022, Governor Josh Shapiro has been a surprising proponent of the traditionally Republican doctrine of “school choice”. Shapiro has proposed using taxpayer education money to fund “vouchers” for private schools, rather than sending this money to public education. From 2012 to 2016, Shapiro accepted $175,000 from a pro-School Choice PAC.

With this political climate in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Public Schools may have few options other than school closures to remain financially sound. However, the plan has come under criticism from many inside and outside of the PPS apparatus. Board Member Dwayne Barker called the plan “School gentrification at its finest.” Joseph Trawick-Smith, a member of the consulting firm that proposed the plan, flatly stated that the closures would impact Black and Latin-American students more than white students.

One teacher at South Brook 6-8, a school marked for closure, had mixed feelings about the proposal. “It had to be done” he said, before adding “but the district is going to [mess] it up. They’re going to mess it up and it’ll lead to more people leaving PPS.” The comment comes on the heels of a decade where PPS has lost more than 25% of its student body, many of them flocking to private schools. The proposal has not yet been adopted, and PPS will be holding community input sessions at various schools from 6-8 PM. They will be held at Allegheny K-5 (8/27), Allderdice (9/3), Carrick (9/4), and Arsenal (9/5). After these meetings, a final version of the proposal with a definite timeline will be created on September 16th.