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Pittsburgh school board hears public testimony on 3 Rivers Wildflower Montessori charter application
Summary
At a Dec. 16 special hearing, parents, educators and community leaders largely urged approval of the 3 Rivers Wildflower Montessori charter to expand access to Montessori instruction; opponents warned that additional charters and current Pennsylvania funding rules can divert special‑education dollars and worsen district finances. The board will review the full application before deciding.
PITTSBURGH — On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, the Pittsburgh School Board held a special public hearing on the 3 Rivers Wildflower Montessori Charter School application and heard more than a dozen speakers over roughly two hours before adjourning without a vote.
Stephanie Dobbs Lapine, founder and CEO of the proposed 3 Rivers Wildflower Montessori Charter School, opened the hearing with a seven‑minute presentation. "This application is not about ideology. It is not about competition. It is about access," Lapine said, arguing the charter would provide tuition‑free, Montessori microschools designed to serve diverse learners across Pittsburgh with fidelity to Pennsylvania academic standards and clear accountability measures.
Supporters included parents, current and former Pittsburgh Montessori students and community leaders who credited Lapine with strong classroom results. "If I could pick a guide for children through the turbulent years ahead, I'd really want it to be her," parent Dave Carlton said, citing three years of classroom experience with Lapine. Fifth‑grader Belle Carson told the board, "Math can be so fun with Montessori," and other parents described improved social‑emotional outcomes under Lapine's instruction.
Several witnesses urged the board to allow the charter if the district will not expand authentic Montessori programming internally. "I would like to give her the opportunity to do so," parent Sierra Maloney said.
Speakers who opposed approving new charters urged the board to protect neighborhood schools and warned of funding and access problems under current state rules. Shannon Stryner, a Pittsburgh Public Schools parent, said Pennsylvania pays charters a flat special‑education tuition rate based on district averages and that, once the money reaches a charter, "it goes into their general operating budget." She added that when students' needs become more complex, families are often "counseled out," leaving higher‑need students in district schools and worsening funding instability.
Other testimony pressed for broader district reforms. Emily Sawyer, who said she had provided detailed written remarks to the board, urged cultural and leadership changes at the district level and said the district "allowed a problematic school leader to maintain their position at our Montessori magnet, [which] has broken trust with families and has alienated a beloved teacher," a concern she said the district must address alongside any expansion of programming.
The hearing included a mixture of endorsements for Lapine's teaching and process critiques. Several speakers said they preferred Montessori instruction remain inside Pittsburgh Public Schools if possible; others said the district had not made that expansion feasible and supported a charter as a practical path to preserve and scale Montessori practice.
Board president Jean Walker did not take public questions or issue an immediate ruling. He apologized for the mistaken start time that had been posted on the district website and said the board will "review the full application and debate the merits" before making a decision. The board adjourned and said it will meet for a legislative session the next evening at 6:30 p.m.
No formal action was taken at the hearing. Written testimony and the video recording of the hearing will be uploaded to the Pittsburgh School District website, the board said.
