Share Share Share The Pittsburgh Public School District is looking into closing several schools and reconfiguring others. In April, the board directed the superintendent to create a "Facilities Utilization Plan." A spokesperson for the district told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that consultants were hired to provide a base recommendation. That proposed recommendation is now being presented to the Pittsburgh Public Schools community through a series of public meetings before the final recommendation is made. The proposed plans would close 16 schools and reconfigure grades at 14 others. A spokesperson for the district said this is the result of years of declining enrollment, which creates a challenge when trying to provide all schools with equitable education and services. "A number of the North Side schools would close, and that leaves an education desert in an enormous portion of our side of the city,” Valerie Webb-Allman said. Under the plan, six magnet schools would be converted into neighborhood schools. "Don’t dilute the programs that are good in order to spread more access. Figure out how to raise everybody up to the level of amazing education that I've been able to navigate for my children,” parent, Sarah Hirebet said. The district is using public forums and online surveys to gauge parents’ concerns before hired consultants present the final proposal to the board in a matter of weeks. Valerie Webb-Allman said the full picture of what this proposed plan would do isn’t being explained. "How can I get feedback about concerns that I have around transportation, class size, cost, transportation issues, if I don't even know what school my kids are going to be going to when they start to implement this? I can't give feedback until after they vote to start the process,” Webb-Allman said. According to a district spokesperson, enrollment has been dropping by roughly 2% each year for more than a decade. Last year’s enrollment of 18,380 reflected a drop of nearly 4,000 students in 7 years. Then a final recommendation will be shared with the board and the public on September 16th. There will be 3 more Regional Community Input Sessions: September 3, 2024 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School Auditorium September 4, 2024 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Pittsburgh Carrick High School Auditorium September 5, 2024 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8 Auditorium September 11, 2024 from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM via virtual webinar