The Pittsburgh Public Schools board voted Wednesday to approve realignment plan that calls to shutter nine public school buildings and realign many others, despite public pushback.
“It’s always been about, ‘How can we position our district to not only perform for the young people that we have today, but also be ready to perform for the young people that would be in our trust for years?’” board President Gene Walker said. “While these changes are difficult, for me, the decision is not.”
In addition to Walker, board members Dwayne Barker, Yael Silk, Eva Diodati, Tracey Reed and Tawana Cook Purnell voted in favor of the plan.
Devon Taliaferro and Emma Yourd voted against. Erikka Grayson abstained.
Proponents of the “Future-Ready Facilities Plan” say the plan will improve equity and opportunities for students districtwide, while opponents say the plan lacks clarity and transparency, and that the shifts would be disruptive to students’ educations.
Set to close at the end of next school year are the Student Achievement Center, Friendship PreK-5 (Montessori), Schiller 6-8, Manchester PreK-8, Fulton PreK-5, Miller PreK-5 and Woolslair PreK-5 school.
Spring Hill PreK-5 and Morrow would close at the end of the 2028-29 school year once renovations to Northview PreK-5 would be completed. Several schools would shift to different buildings, and nearly all elementary-level magnet programs would be phased out.
Morrow’s K-5 program would be housed in the secondary building, whereas Schiller would move to Allegheny Traditional Academy and the Montessori program would be relocated to the Linden building.
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials considered a school closure plan in November but voted it down. In January, they decided to reconsider it.
The plan has received much public pushback.
Those opposed say many questions and concerns remain unanswered. They expressed a lack of confidence in PPS’ ability to implement the plan and called for more community feedback.
Taliaferro, whose district includes five of the nine closing school buildings, took the public feedback to heart.
“They deserve somebody who is going to represent them authentically but not giving in to whoever or whatever, but to be able to make sure that we are moving in the right direction, that we are making the right decisions for children,” Taliaferro said.
Proponents of the plan say it addresses uneven enrollment and underutilized buildings, and provides more equitable and academic access across the district.
Reed acknowledged closing schools is difficult. She belives Pittsburgh Public Schools can look to the Baltimore City Public Schools to implement a positive school realignment plan.
Centering students with the most challenges will ultimately create a better system, she said.
“We have to get some things in order before we can start to make the kinds of changes that our kinds fundamentally deserve,” Reed said. “They should not be going to schools where they’re not getting what they need.”