Pittsburgh Public Schools committee reviews 2026 process, seeks clearer links between spending and district goals

Emma Yord, chair of the Pittsburgh Public Schools Budget and Finance Committee, opened the March 2 meeting and turned the floor over to Chief Financial Officer Ron Joseph for a review of the district's budget process.

"You won't see the familiar 3 year forecast graph...you won't see a lot of numbers," Joseph said, describing the presentation as "just an attempt to level set the board" before the administration begins detailed work on 2027 budget proposals.

Joseph summarized the 2026 development timeline, noting principals received site-based budgets in January, the state budget proposal arrived in February, the district released a preliminary 2026 budget in November, and the board adopted the 2026 budget on Dec. 17 after advertising notice to adopt on Nov. 30. He also pointed to an Act 1 index that set a 3.5% ceiling the district used when considering whether to seek authority to raise taxes without a referendum.

The presentation moved from last year's timeline into the proposed 2027 schedule: principals' submissions by March 1, a first budget workshop April 13, a May checkpoint to assess property-tax allocations and possible millage adjustments, a second workshop June 1, a final workshop in September and statutory adoption deadlines (including an Act 1 resolution by June 30 and a Dec. 31 deadline for the 2027 budget and tax rates).

Committee members pressed Joseph and the chair for clearer ways to evaluate and discuss budget choices. A presenter summarized the board's four guardrails'protect student and staff safety and mental well-being; maintain student access to a robust set of course offerings; prioritize historically underserved students; and consider resource-allocation impacts before major decisions'and committee members said they want presentations that show how dollars and staffing map to those goals.

"Helping us see how the school district or the administration is aligning financial resources to the 4 goals that we're in the process of approving...is helpful in making helping us ask more strategic questions," Chair Yord said.

Directors asked for side-by-side, goal-by-goal slides that list current investments, proposed incremental investments, costs and the explicit trade-offs required to fund them. Joseph agreed such comparisons could be prepared: "We can say this is what the current state is...and this is what the incremental cost would be," he said, explaining that some spending (debt service, charter payments, transportation and legacy costs) is fixed while other spending can be prioritized for additional investment.

Several board members also asked for clear taxpayer-impact information tied to any discussion of millage changes. Director Barker and Director Diodati asked whether the district could show simple per-household estimates and a scenario that demonstrates what would happen if the board chose not to pursue a millage increase. Joseph said the district routinely includes a taxpayer-impact page in the budget book and will present those figures when a tax-rate change is under consideration.

The committee also asked administration to follow up on procurement and technology coordination to reduce duplicate or unnecessary purchases. Joseph said procurement-policy updates recommended by Controller Heisler are under way and the administration will consult with Chief Technology Officer Mark Stuckey about centralizing district technology purchases where appropriate.

Next procedural steps: the first budget workshop will review fiscal 2025 year-end financials and revenue forecasts next month, the second workshop is scheduled for June 1, a final workshop is set for Sept. 8, and the administration expects to release the preliminary 2027 budget in early November ahead of a December public hearing and final adoption deadlines.

The Budget and Finance Committee identified three priorities for the year: produce a budget with substantial board input, advance the procurement-policy update, and review and align financial policies with current practice. With no further business the committee adjourned.