Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have received recommendations to close more than a dozen schools and potentially merge Carrick and Brashear high schools.
A consultant hired by the district said, through a facility use report, that the urban school system should close 16 of its schools and open two new ones, bringing the total from 54 to 40 schools.
The consultant, Massachusetts-based Education Resource Strategies, also recommended combining Carrick and Brashear into a new modernized career and technical education center.
Under the plan, 14 schools could be consolidated into new configurations, and six magnet schools would ultimately transition to neighborhood schools.
PPS Superintendent Wayne Walters said the plan is a “base scenario” for school officials to begin considering how to move forward.
“This recommendation clearly aligns with our community’s priorities, and ERS will continue to gather feedback before submitting a final proposal next month,” Walters said in a district statement.
Schools proposed to close under the recommendation include Carrick, Milliones (grades 6-12), South Brooks (6-8), South Hills (6-8), Pittsburgh Allegheny (6-8), Manchester (Pre-K-8), Pittsburgh Spring Hill (K-5), Whittier (K-5), Roosevelt (K-5), Lincoln (K-5), Linden (Pre-K-5), Pittsburgh Arsenal (Pre-K-5), Weil (Pre-K-5), Woolslair (Pre-K-5) and Fulton (Pre-K).
The district will spend August taking additional community input on the plan, and in September will hear a final recommendation before bringing the plan to several public hearings in October and November.
A board vote on the final plan is expected in 2025.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.