Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents and advocates urge Pittsburgh school board to drop closures, use charter-reform funds and increase budget transparency
Summary
At a Dec. 8 public budget hearing, parents and advocates urged the Pittsburgh Public School District board to abandon proposed school closures, direct $12 million in charter-reform funds to classroom needs and special education, and provide clearer, itemized budget information before any vote.
PITTSBURGH — Parents, special‑education advocates and community members told the Pittsburgh Public School District board on Dec. 8 that proposed school closures would harm students and that newly available state charter‑reform dollars and other budget changes should be used instead to preserve classrooms.
Laura Gallagher, an ally of the Education Rights Network, cited what she said was a $12,000,000 boost from state cyber‑charter reforms and argued the district is not facing the kind of fiscal emergency that would justify displacing students. "Do not close our schools," Gallagher said, adding that she found a prior 6–3 board vote against closures encouraging.
Emily Sawyer, a parent of four Pittsburgh SD students, told the board, "We know it's not a choice between closing schools or raising taxes," and criticized the continued use of tax abatements for developers while residents…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
