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City schools looking past budget battle
Thursday, December 28, 2000 By Carmen J. Lee, Post-Gazette Education Writer
Pittsburgh's school superintendents have long predicted that the district would one day have to raise taxes to address recurring deficits.
And consultants often have said Pittsburgh had more public schools than the district could afford.
Now that the school board has tackled both issues by agreeing to raise taxes and close some schools, how will the district move forward in the coming year?
Full speed ahead and with no looking back, according to Superintendent John Thompson.
"It's like the [presidential] election. It's behind us. It's done," Thompson said. "Let's all get together so we can see how we can work for the betterment of our children."
Next year, school officials will try to stay out of the red while forging ahead on education initiatives.
That would be enough of a challenge under normal circumstances. But it could be a formidable task to get some residents to buy into the superintendent's vision of a "world class" district after a board majority agreed to close 11 schools over two years and raise taxes -- including a 20 percent increase in property taxes.
School officials don't appear to be daunted. The day after the board approved the 2001 budget, Thompson was on the telephone with Bill Strickland, president and chief executive officer of the Bidwell Training Center. The two talked about how the city district could form a partnership with Bidwell, trade unions and other groups in developing a school-to-career program that would have a new state-of-the-art vo-tech school as its centerpiece.
In coming weeks, school officials plan to create transition teams to help displaced pupils and their families become acquainted with their new schools.
District spokeswoman Pat Crawford pointed out that some previous redistricting plans were approved in the spring or summer and began taking effect three or four months later. This time, school officials have a semester and a summer to help people become acclimated, she said.
With the turmoil of recent budget discussions still fresh, it's not surprising that several issues raised in the past few weeks are among city officials' top priorities for next year.
"We need to secure more money from the state," said board President Alex Matthews. "We're going to make it a priority to lobby the Legislature so that we can get more money for special education ... and charter schools."
Matthews also wants school officials to begin looking for ways to reduce the wage tax, which a board majority agreed last week to raise from 1.875 percent to 2 percent.
Thompson said he'd like to start working with the board as early as March on the 2002 budget. Both he and Matthews warned that more schools could be closed to improve the district's efficiency and cut costs.
Before the board approved the 2001 budget last week, Thompson told board members he would expand the closing criteria to include other factors like student achievement, which some residents complained should have been considered when evaluating the current school closing list.
Although several school officials insisted during budget talks that the district's teaching, learning and assessment department was already too lean, Thompson and Matthews said the division, which oversees curriculum and professional development, should be reorganized.
At some point in 2001, school officials will have to find the time and energy to push ahead with the superintendent's ambitious plans for enhancing the district.
Along with developing a school-to-career program, Thompson wants to revamp the district's technology program, building upon $7.5 million in improvements the board approved for next year.
Crawford identified gifted education as another area school officials are likely to review in 2001. And board member Randall Taylor believes the district's alternative education and early childhood education programs should be re-examined, along with the possible extension of the school day and year.
School officials said they are not oblivious to the possibility of backlash from people upset by next year's budget. During tense public hearings this fall before the budget was approved, angry residents threatened to leave the city, send their children to private schools or start charter schools.
Still, officials believe a well-organized transition will help ease tension and anxiety. They're also banking on winning residents over with educational initiatives.
"Some people may never be happy ... but we hope we can present a clear vision for the district that every child can benefit from," Matthews said.
Thompson said, "We're going to be out in the community selling our vision and programs, reassuring people that we're not going to compromise on quality with our initiatives.
"Once people see what we're doing, that will nullify any backlash...we're going to keep moving forward."
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