Parents and students urge school board to slow 'Future Ready' plan, warn it risks programs and services

Dozens of parents, students and community advocates told the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) board on March 23 that the district's proposed "Future Ready" facilities plan moves too quickly and misses key supports for families and specialized programs.

Speakers including Sandra Woolly, identified as chair of PIN's education task force, and parent Holly Cox said the plan compresses major changes into its first year despite consultant recommendations that a reconfiguration of this scale should take three to five years. Woolly said the plan "was developed without meaningful family input" and asked the board to delay a vote until community concerns are addressed. Cox asked the board to "please vote no" on the plan in its current form, calling the timeline "unrealistic".

Several speakers described the plan's facility-capacity projections and program changes as likely to produce harmful staffing and program disruptions. Parent Sarah Zangle used a physical model to show current building utilization ranging from about 23% to 109% and said projected Central East capacities would range roughly from 20% to 103%, arguing that repeated redistricting will not solve the district's underlying challenges. Mike Cumins, a member of the Penn Education Justice Task Force, said exceptions for some schools and a reduction in the number of community schools undercut the plan's equity goals.

Students and families from Scitec urged the board to preserve program features that students said are central to the school's success. Tyler Allen, a Scitec student, said the 80-minute block schedule "has become the backbone of Scitec's curriculum" and warned that converting Scitec into a "home school" without preserving block scheduling could place learners into an environment that does not best serve them. Multiple current Scitec students said the school's concentration system and hands-on STEM opportunities create pathways to college and careers and urged clearer, earlier communication about how schedules and specialized offerings would be affected.

Speakers also raised specific operational concerns. Emily Sawyer, a parent and PPS graduate, said the district's projections for lower enrollment can become a self-fulfilling rationale for cutting staff and programs, producing halftime positions that are unlikely to retain committed teachers.

Several commenters urged more authentic community engagement. Jasine Worthy invited board members to attend a series of community listening sessions organized by local groups focused on schools on the closure list, and PIN urged coordinated planning with city leaders to repurpose buildings as community hubs if closures proceed.

The board did not take a vote during the hearing. Board president Jean Walker adjourned the meeting and said the board would reconvene Wednesday. The public record for the hearing, including written testimony and video, will be posted on the district's website.