Pittsburgh school board members are canvassing their communities to find out what goals the district should prioritize in the coming years.
Board members say the process will allow them to run Pittsburgh Public Schools more efficiently, increase transparency and respond directly to community feedback. But some parents and stakeholders have been hesitant to share what they will value most in the future without more clarity on the looming school closures at present.
“We have a shared vision of what a good education looks like,” said Marat Valiev, a father of three Colfax K-8 students. “The problem is whether these values will transform into the right actions.”
At a listening session inside Squirrel Hill’s Allderdice High School on Monday, board members gathered parents and other stakeholders to brainstorm ideas for the district with a focus on the big-picture.
The board plans to use the feedback shared at the Allderdice listening session and 11 others this spring to determine which measures of student success — such as graduation rates or test scores — they will work with district leaders to monitor closely.
PPS entered into a two-year, $100,000 contract with the national Council of Great City Schools to undertake this work last year, and, in February, the board approved a slate of streamlining governance policies as a result.
But several parents said they came to Monday’s meeting expecting to share their feedback on the district’s facilities utilization plan, which proposes restructuring Colfax into a middle school, phasing out most of the district’s magnet programs and closing 14 schools.
Valiev called the plan and its declared objectives the “elephant in the room.”
“How is it going to work out?” he asked.
District 4 board member Yael Silk said that while the two initiatives are separate, feedback shared with the board during this goal-setting effort will be used to shape their future votes — including those related to school closures.
“We, as your elected officials, are taking the time to ask for your input about what direction you want us to go in,” Silk said. “And in good faith, we're committed to using that information to guide our decision-making moving forward, whether it's the restructuring plan or any other large initiative or small initiative that we're responsible for overseeing in the coming years.”
“It is layered, it is messy, and your input is really important,” she added.
About a dozen participants at the Allderdice listening session were split into three groups to discuss what skills students should obtain during their time at PPS. Parents emphasized the importance of critical thinking skills, preparedness for employment and the ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds.
When asked what the district should maintain in the coming years, participants stressed the need for diverse and equitable programming, robust staffing and investments in core curriculum.
Community members also said the district should take additional steps to retain good teachers, push students to meet high expectations and take a thoughtful, data-driven approach to change.
Similar priorities were echoed during an April 1 listening session at King PreK-8, where community members coalesced around critical thinking, workforce preparation and an appreciation for music and fine arts.
District 8 director Dwayne Barker led the listening session at King, and helped facilitate Monday’s meeting at Allderdice.
“You all are speaking the same things, which is beautiful, because that lets us know that ultimately, we're all one community,” Barker said. “We all want the same thing for our future leaders and our staff, and anyone within the outside community that directly affects our actual school communities.”
Parents at the King listening session similarly lamented being asked to get excited about a big future vision as the district faces closures.
“I think it’s a struggle for folks right now because we feel threatened,” said Emily Sawyer, parent to PPS students at Manchester PreK-8, Schiller 6-8 and Perry High School. “It just feels a little bit like everyone’s trying to sort of grab whatever they can get.”
Kimmie Givens, the parent of a 13-year-old student at Pittsburgh Schiller 6-8, said she came to the listening session to learn more about the district’s plan to close schools on the North Side, which she said she opposed. She said she had not been able to attend previous district meetings on the topic due to a conflicting work schedule. Givens left shortly after the listening session began.
Nichole Sims, a North Side parent and grandparent who works with A+ Schools and Black Women for a Better Education, said she “loved” the evening’s conversation and believed the school board would listen to community input, but felt the district needed to improve parent engagement.
“The most marginalized families are missing,” Sims said. “There are a lot of other factors and reasons why they’re not here. And I am not even sure that I understand all of those barriers. But I do think it’s the district’s job to figure that out.”
Five additional listening sessions will be held through the beginning of May.
