Public Hearing - November 24, 2025

001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, and I welcome you here to, uh, the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education. I would like now to now call to order tonight's public hearing. Today is November 24th, 2025. Uh, before we get started, I just want to remind everyone of the process tonight. Uh, Miss Erica Gandandy will moderate our public hearing. Speakers are each allotted three minutes to speak. Uh, and there's only one uh, all speakers have been registered in advance. Um, speakers are not allowed to share their time with anyone else or give their time to someone else who was not already registered. Our speakers will be called one at a time. Uh and as our time as your time begins to wind down, if you are in person, uh you will see a red light blinking uh

002on the microphone that will give you uh an indication that your time is running down. Uh and then when we switch to our virtual uh participants, uh we will give you a signal when you have 30 seconds left. Um our order of speakers uh remains the same. Uh all of our inerson speakers will go first followed by our virtual speakers. Uh anyone who misses their uh time uh will be called again at the end uh to be given an opportunity if they happen to be late. Uh let's see. Uh for those folks who were not able to attend in person or virtually, they did an option uh of sending in their written testimony. All testimonies provided ahead of time uh will be added to the public record along with uh the video for this hearing

003uh on the district website. Uh those who would like to uh watch the uh hearing can click on the district web page uh and click on the public hearing that will be on the front page. Just a couple of other uh pieces of information. Uh for those who are here in person, we do have limited space in this room. Uh so after uh you speak, we do ask that you if you choose to stay uh that you go back downstairs to the overflow room that has uh a monitor set up so that you can continue watching. Uh for those of you that are in the room, um just as a reminder, uh in order for us to ensure that our meeting proceeds in an orderly and respectful manner, uh shouting, interruptions, and other um remarks

004or clapping or cheering um is prohibited. Anyone who engages in such behavior may be asked to leave the room andor removed from the premises. And so we appreciate your cooperation in advance so that everyone can be heard uh during their time. And with that uh I will turn the meeting over to Miss Gandandy. >> Thank you, Mr. Walker. And the first speaker this evening is Michelle Bole. Public schools are our children's second home. It's where they spend the most of their time when they are not with their parents and guardians at home. Stop evicting our children from their second home. Public schools are the foundation of our society. Stop the dangerous antisocial behavior of closing our children's schools. As a neighbor and parent of uh Pittsburgh public graduates, this is the third round of school

005closings closures threatening the well-being of our children and the very fabric of our neighborhoods and communities. Each time we are told it would save money, evidence shows that it does not. In fact, with the recent state budget passing, greater funding is already secured for our schools. Public schools are so important in our history that they are a guaranteed right in our state constitution. They gave birth to freedom writers, union leaders, mayors, and every profession that currently exists. Whether the current federal whether the current federal government recognizes like my own nursing or not or even teachers. We know we know who and which professions are essential to our society. Co taught us that. This board has an obligation to our children and our society to keep these schools open. The legacy of the current board members

006will be determined by whether you will support our children with the knowledge of incoming money in the state budget or not. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Robbie Ali. Hi everyone. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate your hard work. I'm a retired physician and former member of the faculty University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. and I am a proud member of the Pittsburgh public school's distinguished alumni hall of fame. I've been volunteering with the Pittsburgh public school since 2003 at Peabody Obama Westinghouse and for the past two and a half years at Liberty School. My daughter, my mother, and myself all graduated from Liberty School. At Liberty, I go in for most of the day every day. Last year, I was able to teach all 27 students in

007the second grade class their times tables from 0 to 12. The specific concern that I wish to speak to you about is how to minimize the negative impacts of the realignment on current students who are forced to move to a new school for their last year or two. Most students who currently attend Liberty School are not in a neighborhood which would allow them to continue on next year. I understand that busing students has costs involved, but I have surveyed parents of third and fourth grade graders and many of them would be willing to drive their student to school every day if necessary. There is ample evidence in the literature about the negative educational and social impacts of such moves on pit on students. In the case of Liberty School, currently a Spanish magnet school slated

008to become a neighborhood school, current students and their parents expected to be here through fifth grade when they signed up for the magnet program here. And we feel it would be unfair and disruptive to these students in terms of both their academic and their social development at this critical age to be forced to move to a new and unfamiliar school for one or two years and then to have to move again for middle school. There's a reason why schools are K to5 and not K to three or K to4. These students are at an age where consistency and continuity of their social and academic environment is particularly important. In a word, I am asking that current third and fourth graders at Liberty School be allowed to finish there and graduate the fifth grade. More generally,

009I hope that the board's vote on whether to approve the realignment plan and what changes are to be made will be done only after the board has had enough time to properly assess, discuss, and evaluate the public comments from today's important session. 80 stu 80 speakers signed up. I think that tomorrow is too soon to vote on this. Thank you for your attention. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Katie Rank Lev, excuse me. You've all heard me speak about Starret repeatedly at these meetings. I'm here again to talk about Starret as an example of how the future ready plan is incomplete. Right now, you're facing a vote on this plan which is labeled final final final in its file name which signals that the administration believes it is ready to go.

010You as a board must vote no on the plan as it is so that the administration can take that feedback and make revisions. For example, nowhere in the 152page document does it state whether the partial magnet at Sterit will end. Does that mean it will stay? The plan should be revised to clarify. So, you should vote no on this version. Another example, the plan says repeatedly that we are switching attendance zones and feeder patterns to create a seamless experience and continuity. Starret seems left out of these goals since children come in from multiple elementary schools in sixth grade. They are then blended with the Wilkinsburg children in seventh grade and then shuffled to multiple high schools after 8th grade, some to Westinghouse, some to Alderdise. That is not seamless continuity. We don't have updated enrollment

011projections in the 152page plan, but based on the information available from March, the final plan puts Starret five classrooms short of enough space. Does that seem like a plan that is ready to green light? While I'm not familiar with the details of Myth Flynn, I can't help but notice that school too is absent from the plan. A complete and final plan cannot overlook the logistics and specifics for entire schools. There are positive aspects to the plan currently. It can be revised and finalized. But as is, you must vote no. With my remaining time, I wanted to mention that I'm glad you're discussing limits on cell phones in our schools. This discussion is timely. State Rep. Mandy Steele just introduced legislation about this topic. Steel introduced HB1814, a bipartisan legislation that would prohibit students in public

012schools from using or possessing a cell phone during the school day. Students would be required to secure phones in a way that prevents access till the end of the day. of course with exceptions for emergency and medical needs. So, thank you for addressing this timely topic. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Muhammad Maya again. Muhammed Maya and we'll move to the next speaker, Kate Oberan. >> Hi, I'm just going to be really short about this. There's no funding for North View Heights yet. There's no plan that you're willing to share with us about how that funding is going to happen. You're not telling us anything. We've asked multiple times for basic details like, "Okay, so if there's no money, what are your steps to go get the money? How are

013you going to be doing this?" And you won't tell us. You say that you won't tell us until you vote to pass to shut schools down. To me, that's just stupid. I don't understand it. Like, just tell us what we need to know. Not a big deal. We would trust you a lot more. Additionally, and this is my personal view, any plan that leads in leans into segregation, claiming that it will get rid of inequities without telling us specifically how inequities will be dealt with is not a plan worth following through on. If you can't tell us how you are going to fix the problem, then like why are you even using those words? That's it. Thank you. Please vote now. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Michael Cummings. Many speakers will

014detail many reasons this proposal should not be approved. I want to focus instead on what we can do right now to move in a positive and productive direction. A no vote does not mean progress stops. It means we choose a clearer vision. So, let's envision a year ahead that produces meaningful improvements while complementing future restructuring. Before anything else, you must assure families that no restructuring changes will be rushed through for next school year. Families deserve the ability to plan for their children for next year. Rebuilding trust and developing community line plan is not only reasonable, it is responsible governance. So within that context, first let's stabilize our finances. As I already mentioned, we're receiving 8.4 million in savings on cyber charter reform. That's a real opportunity to strengthen our financial footing. Next, reform our procurement

015practices, saving 10 to 16 million dollars a year. This is an achie achievable reform that we have a duty to act upon right now. We could also close some long vacant admin positions. These changes along with unspent funds from other unfilled positions puts us back in the black with breathing room to move forward in a responsible manner. Second, let's modernize how we lead. Effective leadership requires proximity, not a centralized, outdated administration model. Move D district admin into school buildings with excess capacity that are not on the closure list. Completing this by the end of the summer. Lease this building to generate substantial recurring revenue. Maintain it for c certain uses like these meetings with its location while retaining a revenue generating asset. The shift will put decision makers closer to students and teachers. Admin will

016experience the effects of their choices. Students will benefit from more adults present in schools. The impact academic, cultural, financial, is enormous. Third, use the next school year to drive tangible improvements. Some changes only require vision, planning, and coordination. Others do require resources that we're generating from financial reforms. Let this next year be a demonstration that our district leadership can execute equity and excellence reforms and rally community support. At the same time, develop a revised facilities, educational, and equity plan that begins with and is built upon community needs and priorities. build real support, clear goals, a responsible timeline, and transitions that minimize harm to students and families. We can do this, but we must be honest. The proposal in its current form will not get us there. To move forward, we must acknowledge for the last

017two years, our superintendent has abdicated his responsibilities, creating chaos, disruption, and attrition across this district without producing a coherent plan for equity, excellence, or lasting financial stability. He has disregarded major ERS recommendations and deeply eroded community trust. Your own improvements on the board to engage the public are being undermined by incapable executive leadership. Directors Dr. Walters has not demonstrated the capacity to design, let alone implement a transformative restructuring. This district needs a visionary leader who can think creatively, build trust, and work with the community to >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Renee Wilson. Good evening, school board members in the community. My name is Renee Wilson. I'm here. I am a parent, a grandparent. I have seen our public schools go completely down since I was a child and attended them.

018I am just at all that you think the best result is to close schools down. When you do that, especially elementary schools, you take the community away from the children. They don't feel like they're a part of the community and they're too young not to feel that. You also spend like $21,000 for each child that's out of the school. $41,000 for children that go to charter or online school. We instead of trying to close the schools, why don't we come up with plans and how we could bring some of these people back? You know, um East Liberty is doing um getting ready to be AI central. Why couldn't we do um community hubs for for education where people who need online school could still have a drop in place? It's better than closing schools and

019it would get some of the the people back. $250,000 for a consultant just to say to close the schools in the neighborhood. Schools Hill District has lost 11 schools. We only have three and you're trying to cut one down which is an elementary school and no one has mentioned anything about what about this the head start people that goes to those schools. What happens to those? Nobody has any answers for that. We had meetings in the schools in the uh community about this and what it was is that like the school board sort of pit wow against Miller who which one we going to save instead of we need to save them both. We are under construction. I seen that in one of y'all papers and y'all saying that y'all are under construction. But closing

020down our schools in the area that we're trying to build up. It's just not it doesn't even make sense. We're building more housing in the hill. It's not all done, but it will be. What's going to happen? Where the kids where they going to go to school? How do we keep our neighborhood back and get investors that um to invest in our community if we don't even have schools? Does that affect the dollars that will come into that community? Yes. And the education? Yes. We do not need to do that. This really you need to take a break and think about something else and this time include the community because maybe we might have some answers that we could put together together. So, I hope and pray that y'all will not say no to this

021vote and wait to get more understanding of what will happen to the communities. All the schools that have been closed in these different communities did not bring these communities back. So, we have to come up with a better way. And this >> Thank you for your testimony. >> And our next speaker is Martha Reeks. I've been a PPS parent since August of 2013 when my oldest started pre-K and I will be a PPS parent through May of 2037 when my youngest graduates that is 24 years of my children in PPS a longer commitment than many staff me positions or board members and I have been in this room and I have shared that fact before I'm sharing it again to highlight why so many of us parents keep coming back and are invested more invested

022at many times it feels like than the people that are talking to us at these meetings. I am back tonight to implore you all to vote no on November 25th. This proposed school closure plan is incomplete on some of the most critical details and has been created through a rushed process. It's lacking in community input and quite frankly is not designed to be feasibly imp implemented in the Pittsburgh communities that you serve due to our unique geography and composition. Finally, the math for this plan does not add up. The plan as currently proposed results in overcrowded classrooms, overcrowded buses. It creates school deserts in densely populated, vibrant urban communities. As Katie Rankv shared, the numbers are not matching with what they say will be in classrooms. I'm not making these facts up. This is taken

023from that plan. And this plan is going to harm our most vulnerable students. It's not creating equity among schools. And it is creating a scenario that we've even heard admitted is going to create schools that are more segregated than our school demographics already are today. For 2 years now, we have been asking for clear information, accurate budgets, actual enrollment forecasts, demographic information, and transportation numbers. We still don't have that. nor have we seen a single plan about what's going to happen to early childhood education programs that are currently housed in many of the buildings that you're talking about moving around. What happens to them? What about the shortages of specialized certified staff? Over 6,000 students are going to move to schools, different schools with zero benefits if you vote vote yes. Why vote yes? The

024research is clear that school closures like these are hurting our students and are not going to save the district money. And as I have said every time that I've been behind this microphone, I am not against change. I know we need to close some buildings. I know we need to reconfigure others. I know the district would be a lot easier to navigate if we had a streamlined K5 68 912 model. I am not against change, but I'm about change that is done right. It is not too late to say no to this plan. It is not too late to go back to the drawing board. It is not too late to save our magnet programs. And it is not too late to make sure that every student has an actual seat in a classroom with

025Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Gordon Mitchell. Thank you very much for the chance to speak. Uh, slide 64 of the ERS final report caught my eye. It's interesting. It says, "Small K5 schools are typically allocated too few related arts teachers to have dedicated art, music, and PE teachers. And it appears that the future ready implementation plan responds to this because on page 46, it proposes to hire 145 related arts teachers in the two-year opening window uh which is the largest personnel growth category in the plan. So leaving apart other sides of the plan for other speakers, I just want to say tonight that this strategy of artsdriven school change has evidence-based support in the educational literature. Through a randomized control trial with 10,000 students enrolled in 42 schools across the Houston

026area, Rice University researchers published peer-reviewed research showing arts learning experiences increase capac compassion for others, improve writing achievement, and drive college aspirations. A more recent peer-reviewed randomized control trial out of Boston found that quote, "Students receiving the arts in school attend more, are more engaged, and their parents and teachers are more likely to participate and be engaged at school with larger effects for students with individ individualized education plans, students with lower standardized test scores, and students with a history of chronic absentee absenteeism." The eminent uh teacher Sydney Gerwitz Clemens once said, "Art has the role in education of helping children become themselves instead of more like everyone else." This can be easier said than done in a digital age when smartphone apps nudge our children to form identities from likes and follows. these reductive online

027tools of social comparison that distract more than they teach. Strengthening the arts, therefore, is not just enrichment, is a direct response to the cultural forces shaping how our students understand themselves. Yet, strong research now shows that inschool cell phone use weakens focus, erodess classroom culture, and limits students ability to sustain the deeper attention required for artistic and creative work. Districts that have ad adopted bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions have seen meaningful improvements in climate and engagement in both Arkansas, Virginia, and in Senica Valley, just a few miles away where they adopted it. There was recently compelling testimony from Lisa Grimes in a Pennsylvania state Senate Committee hearing last week, noting that re research consistently. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Wanda Henderson. Good evening board members and superintendent Walters. I Wanda Henderson

028and one of the original advocates for African-American students complainants in the PHRC discrimination complaint and the current equity advisory panel chairperson. The equity advisory panel EAP was created as part of the 2006 PHRC consiliation agreement between the advocates and PPS to monitor the district's progress in remedying the horrific academic racial inequities. Section four of the MOU states designated representatives of the board shall attend meetings of the EAP. Very few board members have done so. Section nine of theou states the equity office and the EAP shall have an opportunity to present to the board semianually on topics related to theou equity audit equity plan achievement gap data and other related information. The last time the EAP was invited to present to the board onou issues was April 2023. There was another presentation to the board August

0292023 by the equity office relating to the independent racial equity audit. Today is November 24th, 2025. Neither the PPS board or administration asks the equity advisory panel for any input into the components or design of this future ready facilities plan. Although the EAP is charged in the MOOU to make recommendations to remedy the decay the decades of disparities and inequities. While watching one of the presentations, I was shocked to hear the PSSE director state they will solicit recommendations from the office of equity and the EAP. If the board and the administration had included the EAP and other organizations in creating this plan from the beginning, you would not have received so much anger and push back from parents in the community. The equity advisory panel does not doubt does the that this administration is committed

030to making PPS an equitable school district for all students. However, this plan as it stands has too many loopholes for too many students to fall through. If the board approves this plan, you must attach a community safety net to protect students that we all know would get lost in this complex plan. We need a community safety net composed of parents, community members from all affected schools, closed or redefined to make sure not only all kids get to school safe, but they are not entering school environments that may be hostile to students coming from inequitable school buildings. We need a community safety net to make sure students coming from poorly resourced schools get all the support and resources they need for academic success. We need a community safety net to hold the administration and board accountable

031for assuring equity for all students. Students first always and always do not pass this plan without attaching community safety net for our students. I want to thank a special thank to Mr. Saludin. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you. And our next speaker is Charlie Britannic. Hello. I'm a child in Pittsburgh Monastery and moving it to London makes nothing better. In a matter of fact, it makes things worse. The playground is smaller and the blacktop is also smaller and there's not much flat grass to run around on. So, please don't move Monastery to Lynon. The um there won't be much space in the building to fit the gifted teachers and there might not be your afternoon or morning class because they might be in a room in a different school. So please vote no not

032to move Montasauri to Lynon. Thank you Charlie. And our next speaker is Cara Britannic. My name is Cara Bratannic and you just met my son, a first grader at Pittsburgh Monastery. I'm asking you to vote no and keep Pittsburgh Monasur and Friendship where it belongs. For two years, I've stood here with other parents, educators, and community groups pointing out clear errors in the district's data and capacity calculations. Despite the spreadsheets, diagrams, and written testimony, there have been no corrections, no public acknowledgement, and no transparent explanation for why flawed numbers are still being used to shape this plan. If you vote yes on a plan of this magnitude on top of shaky data and low trust, you don't fix the deficit, you deepen it. The district says access is a key value. If that's true, you

033do not move one of the only truly walk and bikable elementary communities in the city out of a walker's paradise neighborhood and call it future ready. The Friendship Building sits at the convergence of five neighborhoods in one of the most walkable transit connected areas in the city with a walk score of 92, bike score of 94, and transit score of 65. Lynen is less walkable and less central with scores of 67, 82, and 55, respectively. That difference is not abstract. PreK families who don't get busing will go from a truly walkable school to longer, more complicated commutes, or they'll simply opt out. Working families rely on the five community partners that provide before and after care at our school, including programs like Assemble that depend on our kids' enrollment to sustain their STEM grants. Our

034community culture is built on families staying on the playground after school, talking, trading information, solving problems. That's how school culture is developed. It's not an extra. It's part of why this school works. On paper, the trade-off is a historic walkable monastery campus with strong community support traded for a building that currently only has a handful more seats, still needs AC, is less suited for expansion, and is less accessible, that is not strategic, that is short-sighted. Let's be honest, you're being asked to approve a massive reconfiguration that some of you have openly said you doubt is logistically feasible. You're being asked to rely on data families have repeatedly flagged as wrong or opaque. For directors leaning yes, you will own this outcome. Not ERS, not the superintendent, you. For directors ready to vote no, you are

035not blocking progress. You're defending feasibility, transparency, and trust. That is leadership. When my husband and I were buying our first house, everyone told us you can change the kitchen, finish the basement, paint the walls, but the one thing you can't change is the location. It's true. Once you give up a walkable, historic community rooted school like Pittsburgh Monastery at Friendship, you can't get it back. Years from now, many of you will have retired, lost an election, or moved on. But my son and his classmates will still be living with what you decide tonight, walking past whatever replaces the school at friendship and asking, "Why did they clo close my school?" Mr. Walker likes to remind us, student outcomes don't change until adult behaviors change. Yet, the adults are proposing the same kinds of plans that

036haven't worked before. Why would we expect different outcomes this time? So, here's my ask. Don't sacrifice a thriving, accessible school community. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Lucy Thompson. Hi, my name is Lucy and I go to Monasuri and I'm in second grade. I don't want you to move my school because there's a lot of outside space and plus there's a garden at the new school. There won't be a garden. I don't I don't I want you to think about that and think about the 3 to 5 year olds. Will there be enough classes for them? When I I started Monasur when I was four years old and my teacher was Mrs. Conway. I visit her every morning. If you move my school, I won't know where her classroom is. Plus, maybe

037there isn't enough room for her class. At Mrs. Conway's room, I make sure that her um students isn't naughty. And also for the Greenway students, there won't it'll be a longer bus ride even though there's already a long bus ride to Greenway. >> Thank you, Lucy. And our next speaker is Carrie Thompson. We, the constituents of Pittsburgh public schools, have a problem with declining student enrollment. Fact. What do you do with that fact in light of the additional fact that Pittsburgh's population is finally growing again? It's a fact that comes with a problem. With each student comes a sum of money for their education. The fewer the students, the smaller the pool of money is to share among the students that are left. This is also a fact. One thing that someone could do with

038these facts is say there are too many buildings for the number of students in them. We need to consolidate schools to better pull our resources. This is what your plan does, as have others in the past. Despite your rhetoric to put students first, what this plan prioritizes is short-term economics that will perpetuate declining enrollment. But that didn't need to be where we started. We could have said, "Let's ask our teachers and paras what they're seeing and hearing from families. Why do some stay and others leave?" Dr. Walters, you had the audacity to say, quote, "I think our teachers are the game changers." End quote. Then why aren't they integrated into designing what comes next? Your own PPS survey of staff in the spring of 2024 showed low morale and that quote, "Staff members feel unheard

039and unsupported." End quote. But now you expect them to pivot and get excited to create great culture for this plan. You want them to be cheerleaders for a plan that will lead to job losses and confusion about where they'll work next year. This could be different. They could be part of leading with their experiences and pedagogy to build a better school system. We could have said, "Where are the children going to school if not here? What do those schools offer that PPS schools do not?" It is an unfortunate reality that we have to compete for students. Fewer options that don't address underlying problems like lack of before and after school programs or confusing or non-existent transportation or erratic closures because of heat will not attract skeptical families. We could have said PE some PPS schools

040have more demand than space. What are those schools doing that we should replicate in other parts of the district? This could build equity by replicating successful programs for more students, not closing them or further isolating them. Vote no to close these schools and let's build a better plan together. I believe strongly that quality public education is a right for all children and a foundation of a strong democracy. That happens by having students in our communities attending schools together, building community gathering spaces. That means attracting children into our public schools and not giving families more reasons to splinter into charter and private programs which further leech resources from our public system. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Sarah Lera. When you have a strong thoughtout plan, you can present facts and

041answer follow-up questions without hesitation and hyperbole. That is all the community and several of your board members asked of you. When you have a plan that lacks correct data, is based in falsehoods, and is missing essential evidence to back up your implementation, then you have to passive aggressively bully your board to vote just for the sake of moving this forward. It's dishonest to make promises that you can't fulfill. A plan shouldn't be part aspirational. It should be achievable with a step-by-step guide before it's presented to the public. Hemorrhaging students to charters and private schools will be far less if you have a plan based in public trust, of which you're now lacking a great deal of currently. Your plan does not address gaining new families into the district, let alone holding on to the ones

042you have. If you can't answer constituents concerns about basic things that are supposed to happen less than a year from now, then the plan isn't ready. Please vote no. Thanks. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Alli Katonic. Good evening board directors. My name is Alli Patonic. This future ready implementation plan, the plan by any name, is still reckless. It's not too late to vote no and keep working. Pittsburgh students, their families, our communities, our future neighbors. They deserve a plan that is built with them from the ground up. Teachers, staff, and their unions deserve to co-create a plan with the district. These are the workers who make the district work. But they express the frustration of not being consulted about their schools or their students. Why reshuffle 6,000 students for a

043future ready implementation plan that isn't ready? From calculations, we know that black students, students with IEPs, and students from low-income families will be affected by this re reshuffleling disproportionately, meaning it rates higher than their share of the district population. This is reshuffleling without clear benefit, just vague promises of better outcomes. The future ready plan is not something you can just heat up in the microwave and serve. It's a halfbaked plan. There's no equity button to save it to press that it will make the plan equitable. Committing to equity, budgeting for equity and operating by equity need to be the foundation. But this plan doesn't deliver on equity when the math is fuzzy, when community schools aren't mentioned in the plan and a delivery model is still unknown. School closures don't need to be traded for

044equity. And in fact, initiatives floated in the plan could be enacted without the harm or inequity of closures. I want to speak up about the closures threatening the north side, including Marorrow Elementary in my neighborhood and the displacement at Maro Intermediate and all the nine schools that could be closed from the Hill District, South Pittsburgh to the East End. It's time to vote no. Do a real equity audit that quantifies the effects of closing schools. This needs to be a different focus from earlier equity audits. take a different path. By going where students and families are, listening thoroughly and frequently to the district's own constituents, a plan could achieve so much more. The speakers tonight are clear, and there are many more back in the neighborhoods. They deserve to have been planned with, to have

045been engaged in in meetings and sessions in the schools their students attend, not called to Oakland for closure hearings through a required newspaper advertisement issued on July 3rd and flimsy Facebook posts. There are many more opportunities. These are just some. First, the implementation plan applies fuzzy math. The public deserves real math, real costing out. The implementation plan has only been provided in English, not in in language for so many district families. Language access and language justice are necessary at all stages. Third, the community listening sessions were too little too late, even with the district's communications capacity. Protect our students rights to a right to public education. Don't close and displace. It's not too late to do right by Pittsburgh kids and the schools they attend. Thank you. >> Thank you for our for your testimony.

046And our next speaker is Aaron Childs. >> Good evening. The plan you're voting on this week is supposed to center on equity, excellence, and efficiency. It's a very catchy phrase, but time after time it hasn't proven to be accurate. Equity. The school district has an entire office of equity that's headed by a powerhouse of a woman, Dr. Kimberly Cruz. She reports directly to Dr. Walters, and she hasn't been in a single one of his presentations to the board. How can we be centering equity when that voice isn't even present? Also, when asked about how this plan addresses socioeconomic disparity, Dr. Walter straight up said that it can't because he can't change the demographics of the neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh. But that's a direct result of choosing a plan that moves us to an

047almost exclusively neighborhood schools model. There are other models. Excellence. In this plan, excellence seems to be referencing education. But the first time we heard anything about the plans for education other than huge changes like shifting grade bands was at the update meeting in May, which was more than a year after ERS was hired. I haven't heard from a single teacher who's been consulted on creating this plan, but many that say they haven't. Director Wilson, I know I was reminded of that when you called it out last week as having happened before. The administration and the teachers aren't the same group and the teachers are still not being heard. And it seems like every presentation brings up new ideas and shifting targets. I'm not against new ideas at all, but are you really going to vote

048to approve a plan that's so obviously still being figured out? Efficiency. This is where the plan started. The facilities utilization plan was all about buildings. We spent months talking about building closures and renovations and prices and all the little details that surrounded that. Dr. Reid, you asked if there would ever be enough details in this plan for some members of the community to feel satisfied with it. And I think that if the educational component had been given as much detailed content as the building portion, you wouldn't have needed to ask that question. And I love numbers, picking through the details, but it's the wrong focus. Of course, the buildings and the money matter, but if we're making a plan that's supposed to center around our children, then the children and the education have to be

049the focus. They can't be the second and third thoughts. Mr. Walker, when asked when you commented at the meeting about what we would be losing if we didn't say yes to this plan, the first three things you said were about money. The fourth one was about our children and their education. Some of you indicated this thinking last week. You suggested implementing parts of the plan and working through the kinks and the rest of it over time. And the parts you focused on were the educational parts and I love that. But I think our kids deserve a truly planned version of it. They deserve for us to build an education centered plan and then we can figure out what the footprint for that plan needs to look like. Please don't vote for this facility centered plan.

050Please hold out for a plan that centers our kids. Thank you. >> Thank you. And our next speaker is an Ferris again, Ann Ferris. And we'll move to our next speaker, Lily Almond. 7 months, 2 years, four years, it doesn't actually matter. However long you've been working on this plan clearly hasn't been long enough with all the missing information, community engagement, and student participation. You've spent more time time trying to change the name of this plan instead of working on it, fixing it, and talking to people about their future if this plan is put into place. If this is how much you've been able to do in the past two years, how are we supposed to trust you to implement this in a mere six months? You don't need to approve this barely half-made plan,

051vote no and actually make a plan involving everyone. We've been asking the same questions for two years, and this administration hasn't been able to answer those questions. For example, class sizes. When we ask about class sizes, we only get the answer of there's limits in the teacher contract. But I've experienced those limits. And spoiler alert, the teacher contract doesn't mean there will be appropriate class sizes. Hiding behind that contract will cause what happened to me in fourth grade, overcrowding in an unsafe environment for everyone. Now, you say you will put steam in every elementary and middle school, but you aren't even going to be able to start those programs until year two or three because you are trying to rush school closures before you hire the right people and put the labs into the building.

052For my friends who have to move back to their home schools, how are they supposed to continue their steam program if they don't have the right staff, tools, or space? Where's the equity in this? You say you're doing it, you say you're doing this for equity, but what you're building in this plan is equality in the most unequitable way. This plan disproportionately impacts the same people as every other school closure in the history of PPS. Those communities were also hit the hardest by loss of education from COVID and lockdown. With this plan, you know, you are impacting black and brown kids, kids with disabilities, transient kids, and ELLL students the hardest. You know this, yet you're still considering to approve this instead of forcing the superintendent to build a plan that actually addresses equity and

053doesn't bring more disproportionate harm to these students and communities continuously. I've said do better multiple times because I believe you can, but voting this through shows me I've put my faith in the wrong people. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Valerie Webb Amed. Last week, Dr. Walter skirted a question about disproportionate negative impact this plan has black has on black students, students with disabilities, transient students, and ELLL students. I'm here to define the disproportionate impact that he said he didn't understand. for students that are being forced to move. The most impacted group, black students make up 49% of enrollment, but 55% will be displaced. White students make up 29% of enrollment, but only 24% will be forced to move. The majority of students uh schools closing, six of the nine, have

054a disproportionate population of students with IEPs versus the district average. So, a disproportionate number of students with disabilities will also be displaced. 25% of English language learners will be forced to move despite them only making up about 10% of our pop our district's population. 16% of transient and homeless students are being forced to move schools despite them making up less than 5% of the district population. Without a doubt, that is a clear picture of disproportionate impact and paints the opposite picture of inequity that we are being sold. When we raise concerns about these groups, it is because we know they are the ones that have been disproportionately impacted by past closures and by the COVID pandemic. These kids already had much of their foundational years disrupted. And now the district is asking you to support

055disrupting their education for several more years. If this is the plan, we're moving kid if the plan was to move kids into already prepared spaces with fully trained and supported staff, it would be a much different conversation. But instead, we're being asked to move before appropriate support services and parent and IEP meetings can take place, before steam can be implemented with fidelity, and for what? Certainly not equity. It wouldn't even be until year three or four that steam can be put in all schools and students would be stop being displaced. So many of these kids will disport disproportionately continue to be impacted and disrupted by transition for another four to nine years of their education. what equity is achieved for them. You don't know if if you know this plan is halfbaked. It doesn't create

056equity. In fact, it abandons it for the facade of equality. For those of you willing to just vote yes and serve a halfbaked plan to our communities, I urge you to keep that energy going on Thanksgiving. Halfbake your turkey. Tell your family that it might hurt later, but they'll just have to trust you that everything will get better. As this plan stands now, it is not safe for community consumption. You don't need to serve a halfbaked plan before it's ready to serve to the community. You can let it cook a little longer and ask your PPS family to help bring a feast together for all of our kids to thrive. Don't sacrifice the most vulnerable communities by voting yes, just like boards and administrations have done over and over in the name of equity. Build

057a truly equitable plan with the Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is John McFarland. Good evening. I'm here before you in a suit today in the desperate hope that you'll blindly follow me the same way you clearly intend to blindly follow the corporate suits at Educational Resource Strategies. You were elected by the people to represent the people. Well, here we are. The people are here and we have been here demanding that you rethink this ridiculous plan to close down our schools and uproot our children. I must confess I am exhausted. I am exhausted from hearing my elected officials tell me there's not enough money to properly educate the underserved in my community, but plenty of money to line the pockets of corporate out oftowners and charter schools. What's so devious about the

058rhetorical tool of the silent majority is that you never have to prove they exist because they're silent. I'm sure you could learn all about that rhetoric from one of the excellent English teachers who will be looking for jobs thanks to this monumentally stupid plan. In short, the silent majority does not exist. You solicited public comment. Listen to the public. You are proceeding with a wildly unpopular plan to close down nine beloved schools. The results of this will be catastrophic. And since you seem to have blown the budget, paying for corporate overlords, I'll tell you for free. You will overcrowd our remaining schools. You will leave nine perfectly good buildings gathering dust. You will send good teachers packing. There is no clear plan for where these kids will go next year or how these kids will

059get there. There is no clear plan for the students of these nine schools with disabilities who make up 23% of the entire student body of PPS. You will be driving a wedge of uncertainty into the most important years of our children's lives. And for what? Empty corporate buzzwords may be good for boardrooms, but I promise you they do not fool us. Worst of all, you will be demonstrating to your constituents, the people of Pittsburgh, that you do not care what happens to the ch to their children. You will be showing us that you are more beholden to the halfbaked suggestions of a corporate layoff factory than to the cries of the people who elected you. But it's not too late. You can do the honorable thing. Listen to the voices of the people of Pittsburgh

060and admit that you are making a mistake. As I'm sure any of the excellent teachers at these nine schools would tell you, the best way to learn is by making mistakes. Please learn from this one before it's too late. You can still reverse course. On behalf of all of our children, I implore you, vote no on this plan. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Zach Schneider. I'm here to urge the school board to vote no on the current school closure plan. I was here for the hearing in July, too, and listened to many people talk about the many problems with the plan. Once again, so many people showed up here tonight to speak out against the plan that they have to court us here in stages because we

061overflow the seating of the room many times over. They've showed uh the harm that closing these schools would cause. I urge you to listen to the students, listen to the parents, listen to the teachers, listen to the community. They're against the plan and you should be too. Vote no. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker this evening is June Weirden. I am here tonight to tell you to vote no on the school closures plan because it does not promote equity. It will harm education and it will increase the deficit. I know this because I have listened to the experts, the real experts, the generations of Pittsburgers who every day interact with teachers, after school programs, curriculums, buses, and everything else that makes up PPS. The experts aren't consultants from Boston with six

062figure salaries and slick powerpoints who stayed in Pittsburgh for what four months, half a year, and then get to fly home and not deal with the consequences of their actions. There are literally centuries of collective experience in this room who not only have analyzed this plan and explained its shortcomings, but have already lived through the devastation caused by previous waves of closures. If there really is a funding gap, then fight to reclaim funding from charter schools or get UPMC and the other nonprofits in the city to actually help out the city. I understand that these things would be difficult, but the plan that exists right now is a plan to fail, which is not a plan at all. It would be a fight. But look around you and see how many people are ready to

063fight for our children. I hope you are, too. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Dr. Alice Pinchback Johnson. Good evening. My name is Dr. Elise Pinchback Johnson. I am a PPS parent taxpayer and the executive director of Black Women for a Better Education. I'm here this evening to highlight several concerns about the PPS facil future ready facilities implementation plan and to offer recommendations for how we might move forward more effectively. A more detailed version of this testimony was sent as a letter co-signed by Black Women for a Better Education in A+ schools directly to board members and superintendent Walters earlier today. PPS describes the future ready facilities implementation plan as quote a commitment to ensuring that all students in every neighborhood attend schools that inspire learning, reflect dignity, and

064prepare them for a bright future. We agree that bold, sweeping, innovative changes are necessary to transform PPS. However, the current plan lacks critical specifics on how PPS will address the academic needs of students, especially those who have been historically underserved, and the current staffing shortages call into question the district's capacity to implement the plan with the within the proposed timeline. So, recommendation one, elevate academic achievement goals in year one, forming a foundation for strong school cultures before students are relocated. More specifically, prioritize high quality teaching and learning as a key component of building a strong school culture. develop comprehensive academic and professional learning plans and provide tangible evidence of how this plan will address the equity focus areas aligned in the memorandum of understanding. Recommendation two, create a pragmatic timeline grounded in both ambition and

065the district's organizational realities. More specifically, consider delaying school closures and consolidations at least until the 2728 school year to ensure that school building staff and families are adequately prepared for transition. Recommendation three, build the capacity of the PPS team before moving students. More specifically, hire a deputy superintendent charged with restructuring the PPS central office in preparation for a successful district reconfiguration. Also adopt a regional network model in which assistant superintendent for instructional leadership, manage a team of central office support staff, including an implementation pro focus project manager. Recommendation four, staff schools for academic excellence by piloting new programs, replicating su successful staffing models and deepening external partnerships. More specifically, the district should consider addressing staffing issues through strategic collaboration with the PFT, empowerment and incentivization of veteran expert teachers, and replicating creative staffing models districtwide.

066And finally, recommendation five, create a brain trust of regional experts in education, real estate, strategic planning, continuous quality improvement and finance. More specifically, PPS should authentically engage families, teachers, administrators, and communities to guide and support the reconfiguration process, create this brain trust composed of district board directors, district administration, and community leaders to reestablish mutual trust and guide the implementation process, and unapologetically solicit businesses, philanthropy, and the government for funds to truly implement a transformational. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Holly Mson. Hi, I'm Holly Mson, PPS parent. My request, please don't chicken out and table the vote tomorrow. Just go to the vote and please vote no. That is the only honest choice. Vote no and keep working. Two things stuck out to me in the November 17th board meeting.

067First, several board members reiterated some very reasonable questions like where is a timeline? This plan says that you're going to make all changes within about one month before next school year, but you've not provided a timeline with any milestones. Superintendent Walters repeatedly evaded questions and blame board members for not being clear enough in their request, even though the requests were quite literally documented in a board resolution. Second, Director Silk asks a really insightful question. Thank you. To what extent does this plan improve integration across across socioeconomic lines? Dr. Walter's answer regarding socioeconomics, that's not something I can even speak to or promise because I think that's the reality of Pittsburgh. This was a copout answer that revealed how hollow the promise of equity is in this plan. Dr. Walters has spent two years insisting that

068the only thing keeping him from making transformative change was a vote on school closures. That is a false choice. Over and over, Dr. Walters has lost my trust and if I were on the board, I would seriously reconsider his ability to lead the district. But I know we need to move forward. There are some changes I can personally support and that could be viable to implement without biting off more than we can chew, like moving the gifted program to home schools, or you could pick a few schools that could be a pilot program for changing grade bands or magnet programs to see if it truly saves money or improves academic outcomes, especially for black students and students with IEPs. We need transformative change, but Dr. Walters has not been able to give a clear answer

069that draws a straight line from how moving 43% of students to a new school in one school year is going to lead to equity and excellence. For the board members, I ask you to vote no tomorrow and insist that we keep working together. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Kent Jackson. Hi everybody. Uh my name is Kent Jackson. I am a parent of two incoming students in Spring Hill. Um you're going to meet my wife Kristen here in a moment. And the last few months have been educational for us. Um this really wasn't on our radar until we realized that we had some kids that were about to be in school and found out that the school that's right down the street from our house is on the uh

070short list of schools to be closed. um everything I've learned from engagement so far, um virtually attending a few board meetings and looking at you all tonight, it seems like there's a lot of places that a lot of you guys would rather be right now, um on your computers, on your phones, um just not dealing with this anymore. Um that said, it doesn't seem like this plan is ready to be implemented. Um, from a, you know, micro perspective, just me and my family, um, I see that it's a $30 million investment to reopen Northview Heights, and we think that's going to happen inside of the next two years, and we don't have funding for it yet. I just don't see how that's a realistic outcome. Um, and I hope that we have some time to

071take a beat and go back to the drawing board on this and find a feasible way to move forward. You're going to get some more nuts and bolts stuff from all the rest of the people that are coming out here tonight. Um, but for me and my family, um, it just doesn't seem like a lot of thought has been gone has been put into this and not a lot of information has been made readily available. Um, that we're just supposed to vote yes on this and move forward and then we'll work out the kinks and all the problems as we encounter them along the way. I hope that's not the way this plays out. So, please vote no. And I thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker

072is Kristen McKenzie. Hello, my name is Christa McKenzie. Um, I'm Kent's wife. I'm a parent of two incoming PPS students. I'm really concerned by something I heard in the last board discussion. Um, several members argued that it didn't really make sense to develop the finer details of this plan before it's approved. With respect, delaying consideration of critical details until after approval uh is not only reckless, it's a failure of public stewardship and a breach of responsibility that this board owes students and community. I'm an academic researcher. I write grants and manage complex projects. If I submitted a proposal that lacked strong evidence, uh a transparent methods plan and a detailed budget, it would be rejected immediately. Um, the same standards apply in large-scale public sector projects from construction to public health, social services, and education.

073Uh, no initiative of this scale moves forward without extensive planning. Um, these are basic standards. They're not optional. When board community members ask for clarity, we're practicing due diligence. This legitimate oversight should not be mischaracterized as unnecessary scrutiny or mistrust. Nor should stakeholders ever be pressured to accept major changes without understanding projected impacts. Right now, the district is asking a lot of the public to absorb school closures, relocations, and program disruptions for years while at the same time asking us to trust that details will be worked out later. This is not true partnership and it's not transparency. If the administration truly believes in this plan, they need to show their work. We all understand the future cannot be predicted beyond a shadow of a doubt, but it's still reasonable to expect evidence-based projections using transparent

074data and the same forecasting tools that every major public sector project relies on. With the data available to them, the administration should be able to clearly estimate costs and savings, show how student learning will be protected, demonstrate how equity will be improved, and confirm that staffing and services will remain stable. At minimum, they need to demonstrate that they've fully considered the practical implications of this plan for families, staff, and communities. Without this, the board cannot responsibly approve this plan. I believe in thoughtful strategic investment in our schools, and I understand the challenges we face. I respect the work that staff have already done, but this plan is not complete. Transparency and clarity are not barriers to action. They are what make action responsible. Our children and educators deserve a plan that is both visionary and

075thorough. I know this board is exhausted and you want resolution, but I urge you not to vote for a plan that is sketchy at best and harmful at worst just for the sake of putting this behind you. Um, this is a test of your commitment to public service. We elected you because we trust you to lead with integrity. Requiring that the administration provide a more detailed plan is not a failure. It is an act of strong leadership. Please vote no. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Sarah Morton. Greetings of peace. I am Sarah Jamila Martin, an elder in our beloved community. I come to you tonight to remind you that you have been hired and elected to help lead the effort to educate our children to high standards as

076they travel along the path to excellence. It's an awesome responsibility and I know that. But you have chosen to travel along this path. You have chosen to be here and have chosen to be at this juncture where you can decide to correct a path or to continue going in the wrong direction. I speak from a historical and primary source. As an elder in the community, I and along with other elders have witnessed over six decades of districtricting, redistricting, new superintendence, rightsizing, downsizing, closers, segregation, integration. We have looked at the chaos that has come from this board that has created trauma and unknown disparities in our communities. It has disproportionately affected black and brown students in our city. I come to you to request a change of direction. By the way, not all of the plan

077is in dismal disarray. Some there are some good points, but I ask you to keep open and support all the schools of the Hill District. The histories of the schools of the Hill District emanate not from the Pittsburgh Board of Education, but from parents and communities of the places that they live. The schools evolved from the energy and needs of our community. as a result of segregated housing, other patterns of jobs, commitment to cultural standards, and a devotion to high academic standards. In order to carry the names, experiences, and cultural traditions of our community, schools such as Miller African Centered Academy, Pittsburgh WOW, and Pittsburgh Maliance were born from this struggle. We have preserved our students and our schools at up to this time. The struggle continues with the wisdom of parents and enlightened activists.

078I am told that our superintendent comes from a family where children would often come to his >> Thank you for your testimony. Thank you. And our next speaker is Julia Russell. Hi, my name is Julia Russell. I am a seventh grade student at Greenfield K through8. But if this plan is approved, I could be spending my eighth grade year at KFax. I will be discussing some of the many holes in this plan and how they affect me and my school. Right now, I am able to walk to and from school. But if I was moved to Kfax, I could not safely walk to and from school because of the distance. And I cannot get a bus because I live too close, also known as 1.5 m, also known as not 1.5 miles away. I am

079lucky enough to have a parent who could drop me off, but I know and am friends with other students from my school whose parents are not home when it is time to leave. What happens to them? Also, most kids at my school, including me, have been there for a very long time. This means that moving into a completely new environment where they only know some of the students and don't know the teachers could have negative impacts on their mental health. Even students who have only been at Greenfield for a few years would have to adapt. How will that be handled? The last thing I will talk about is the activities. Middle schoolers at Greenfield, including me, enjoy a variety of activities such as theater club, student envoy, and seasonal sports. I take part in all

080of these, as do most middle schoolers at Greenfield, and I consider them to be critical to the middle school experience. The district has said nothing about whether these activities will continue if the plan goes through, leaving me and many other students wondering if we will experience our favorite event next year. Next year, my school even has activities, especially theater club, that both intermediate and middle school students take part in. And these activities could stop going if the schools are changed. What could be done to make sure these activities are still available? In the end, what we want is answers. And if you can't even explain how you can afford all this, well, my school has lead in the paint on the fences, no air conditioning, even though that was promised a few summers ago, and

081has a leak in the middle school stairwell that has not that has been there for a year and still not been addressed, then I cannot be confident that this plan can be achieved. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Rachel Shalatza. While I have many concerns with this plan, I'm going to talk about one in particular tonight related to the rights of students with disabilities. I'm going to read the district's solicitor WBK's response to an agenda review question asked by Director Silk from June 2025. quote, "Any changes to special education classrooms as the result of either a building closure or school reconfiguration will necessitate an update or revision to the district's special education plan. When notice is provided to PTE that a change will impact the plan, a special

082education plan revision notice is submitted to PTE, including information on classroom location and other relevant details. PTE will review the revision notice to ensure that the proposed changes are in alignment with school code regulations. BSE approval is necessary prior to reconfiguration and assignment of special education students. As of today, there hasn't been any mention at a board meeting or in any documents that there's a plan for BSSE approval prior to any reconfiguration or assignment of students with disabilities. WK WBK's response continues, quote, in addition, due process for special education students is critical. One of the most significant legal issues regarding the movement of special education students from current buildings to various new site locations is the potential for predetermination of placement for each of the students being relocated and the potential for the lack of

083parent involvement in that decision-making process. The IDA requires districts to ensure that parents of each child with a disability are members of any group that make decisions about their child's educational placement. While a change in a physical location does not necessarily equate to a change in placement, it's possible that a change in location does constitute a change in placement if the change in location substantially alters the student's educational program. A case-byase analysis is required in order to determine whether a change in location material or substantially alters a student's program. To ensure families and students are involved in this process to the extent required by law, the location of proposed services will be revised on each impacted students IEP, which in addition will warrant a meeting of the entire IEP team. It is recommended that IEP

084meetings be held for each student being relocated from one district building, regional classroom, or program to another so that the determination of student placement is made with meaningful parental participation through the IEP process. End quote. At present, the district's website FAQ says a separate IEP meeting will not be required solely due to school closures. These two statements are in direct opposition of each other. the one from your solicitor and the one on your website. Please take the time to create a plan that's aligned to your own solicitor's advice and that upholds the rights of students with disabilities and their families. Thank you. And our next speaker is Felipe Palama. Good evening. My name is Philipe Balomo, PPS parent. [clears throat] When a school closes, it's not just classrooms that are emptied. It's relationships that are

085torn apart. The decision to shut down a school often clo focuses on numbers and logistics, but it overlooks the most valuable part of any educational institution, the people and the bonds they have built. Within the walls of our schools, teachers are more than co-workers. They are a team, a family. Years of collaboration, shared challenges, and mutual support have created a unique atmosphere of trust and camaraderie. This environment cannot be replicated overnight in a new setting. The same is true for the relationships between teachers and students. Trust is not built in a day. It grows through consistent care, encouragement, and understanding. Students thrive when they feel seen and supported by teachers who know them well. Closing a school severs these connections, leaving teachers and students to start over in unfamiliar environments with unfamiliar faces. Parents too

086have built strong rel partnerships and relationship with teachers and staff. These are rooted in communication, shared goals, and deep commitment to each of our child's success. Disrupting this network weakens the support system that so many families rely on on a daily basis. And [clears throat] then there are the friendships between students, between staff, across generations. These bonds are the soul of our school community. They create a sense of belonging that no budget line can measure. To close Friendship Montasauri School and any of these schools of this plan is to dismantle a living, breathing, and thriving community. We must recognize that this building is not just an institution. It's relationships, its memories, shared purpose. Let us protect what we have built together. Please vote no on our beloved Friendship Montasur School. Thank you. >> Thank you

087for your testimony. And our next speaker is Megan Palama. >> Good evening. My name is Megan. I'm a friendship resident, a PPS monastery parent, and a board member of the Friendship Community Group. I'm here once again on behalf of FCG and our community to voice our strong and unwavering opposition to the proposed closure of the Friendship School. You may have been fed the narrative that this is just another old facility that is in need of too many repairs. But I'm here to tell you otherwise. This space is a truly essential neighborhood institution. the beautiful ample grounds and building which encomp encompass an entire city block. If you haven't been there, just please go and check it out. This space it it not only ho houses the one of the district's most successful and sought off

088soughtafter elementary programs. It provides a cherished long-standing safe public space where families and residents from across the east end gather, play, recreate, and build community. It is a true anchor at the heart of our neighborhood and one that once lost cannot be replaced. The proposal before you doesn't simply disrupt academic continuity. It threatens the stability and vitality of the neighborhoods that stand to lose these facilities. As a public school district, you carry a responsibility not only to the students but also to the public trust and to the taxpayers who fund these buildings and programs. These decisions, decisions of this magnitude must be made with care, transparency, and true stewardship for our city and our communities with our communities. The plan is presented does not meet this standard. It's reckless. It offers no concrete plan for

089the shuttered structures, only a vague statement that the buildings are to be sold for profit. That is not a community- centered strategy. That is not responsible governance. We know from experience what happens when school buildings are closed without a clear and committed plan for their future. Across Pittsburgh, we see former school buildings that still sit empty after decades decaying. We see the irreversible damages those closures have inflicted. Slow deterioration of once vibrant surrounding neighborhoods. The district cannot repeat this pattern and call it progress. Shuttering the historic Friendship School would inflict that same irreversible harm on the East End. And we are here to say once more, the Friendship School is worth investing in. This could be the crown jewel in the district. Over the past year, FCG has conducted an independent review of the renovation

090estimates and we now know that the necessary repairs can be completed at a significantly lower cost than PBS has stated. We have presented this analysis to the board, yet we have received no response. As we have stated repeatedly, the FCG stands ready to collaborate with grants, partnerships, and professional expertise, whatever is needed to modernize the school and grow the model program that Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker this evening is Shirley Anne Hill. I have followed the public hearings regarding the unfair treatment of former monastery teacher Miss Stephanie Lein by principal Kelly Meyer throughout my 41-year career with PPS. I too was subjected to to talks of principles like her. In December 2023, Miss Stephanie Lupin was removed from her classroom by Kelly Meyer. Miss Stephanie Lupin was cleared in February 2024,

091but was conveniently transferred to another school that does not have a monastery program. Because you chose to completely ignore Kelly Meyer's toxic behavior, Miss Stephanie Lupin will be starting her own monastery school. Dr. Sacko, have you talked to Kelly Meyer regarding her toxic leadership that has been going on for many years? I'm appalled that the student achievement center is on a chopping block. This school offers our kids so much that credit recovery can't come close to it. When is the last time any of you observed a credit recovery class? While at Carrick, I can say credit recovery was dismal. The students log on, they are basically on their own. This also goes on at other schools. Take off the blinders and keep SAC open. Carrick High School has a very very small percentage of black

092teachers for for all students. I quote, "Black teachers cultivate critical lessons in empathy, diversity, and leadership, laying the foundation for stronger, more equitable communities." As the late great Nikki Giovani reminds us, this is so important. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Black teachers are architects of this change, equipping students to confront inequities and build a future rooted in justice and opportunity. End quote. This is from the NEA Foundation February 2025. Black Students at Carrick Matter. Uh lastly, what is the rationale behind virtual public hearing speakers going after in-person speakers? Please return to original format where it did not make a difference which option you selected to speak at the public hearing. I'm done. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Harvey Holtz. Turn on

093your microphone. >> Hello, I am Dr. Harvey Holtz. I am part of the party for socialism and liberation and Jewish voice for peace. The school board is almost equally divided on the facilities utilization plan, but the community is not. So, they have aptly named the plan the FU Pittsburgh plan. Make no mistake, the FU plan is part of a class war that is being waged in America and racial oppression that characterizes public education. Charter schools are designed by corporate interest to privatize school at the expense of public education. They infringe upon labor rights of teachers and they skirt democracy. When it comes to the school board's response to this situation, it can either respond with an anti-racist policy or a racist policy. The FU Pittsburgh plan does not do this. The FU Pittsburgh plan advocated

094by five of the nine board members results in racialized school closings and realignments to further the British social equality. What must be done? Throw out the Bostonbased private consulting group of corporate raiders and the racist plan they wrote it on. Close all the charter schools reclaiming THEIR EXORBITANT BUDGET. FIGHT TO HAVE ALL CORPORATE TAX incentives discontinued and allocate those funds to Pittsburgh public schools. Fight to take back state and federal funds for private schools. They can have a free education. They don't need it. Work to desegregate the schools, especially a specialized school. and finally develop a new plan with the broad and extensive participation of the Pittsburgh community. They are the experts. Then we need to get to the business of providing a critical education for our students. One that's based upon history, imagination, and

095liberation. When education is not liberating, the dream of the oppressed is to become the oppressor. Sylvia Wilson, Tracy Reid, Jane Bachelor, Jean Walker, and Yale Silly. So, please answer the question. Whose side are you on? Whose side are you on? Are you the side of corporations and racists? Or are you the side of the people of Pittsburgh? You need to make a plan with them. Do you even care about all the good arguments that you've heard? I hope you do cuz this is serious business. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Liz Dale. >> Good evening. I am a parent of a fourth grader at Liberty K to 5 and I'm having a difficult time explaining to her why she's not going to go there next year if you

096vote yes. This is because I don't understand it myself. One of the reasons we chose a magnet school for our kids is because it includes kids from all over the city. It was important to me and my husband that our children would grow up would learn and grow up alongside kids from backgrounds different from their own. My fourth graders two best friends if you say yes to this plan will not be at her new school next year. I got an email last week talking about how important culture is to the schools. It's the first thing I've seen in this process that I agree with. My daughter and her classmates have spent the better part of five years building a culture at Liberty. And now when they are about to reap the benefits of that culture,

097you are going to destroy it. These kids will be scattered to the four winds and they will have to start from zero. When you are 10 and 11, your friends are your whole world. How do I explain to my child that she has to give up her friends because some number on a spreadsheet said it would be better that way? Maybe you'd like to do it instead. As others have said before me, this plan is not complete and it is going to be a disaster for our children. As others have said, this will cause irreparable harm and deepen already Grand Canyonsiz chasms in the name of equity. So, I urge the board to vote no on this plan in its current form. However, I am also a product of a large urban public school system,

098District of Columbia Public Schools, class of 1997. So, I know when an administration uses this many buzzwords with this few data and actual ideas, it will likely vote yes on this halfbaked and hairbrained plan. So, instead, I will focus on harm reduction. How can I help my fourth grader and her cohort get through this? If the if the board is insistent on voting yes, I urge you to give these kids, these third and fourth graders who have spent their entire academic lives building culture they can be proud of, the opportunity to finish it at their current school. If you have a conscience, you will vote no. If you vote yes anyway, please help reduce harm in any way that you can. If you do this, you might show our children that the grown-ups are in

099long last listening. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Billy Hman. >> Good evening, board members. Uh I'm Billy Hileman, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and resident of PPS District 2. And um first, uh first I need to acknowledge and share my appreciation for the dedicated service board members, uh board directors, Jamie, uh Pratowski, Salude, Dean, and of course, Sylvia Wilson gave to our district. and its students during the years of their terms. Um, I wish I could say more, but I don't have time. There's another matter before us. Uh, but, um, uh, I did I do want to point out that your la one of your last votes may be your most consequential. In [clears throat] June, this board voted five to four to schedule the

100public hearings and and make the inevitable decision that you will make tomorrow. Um, many said the cuts are too deep. Um, I've said it here. As far as I know, the board did not direct the administration to provide a plan B where the school closings would be fewer and the timeline lengthen lengthened. Director Silk, who seconded the motion to adopt the resolution and voted for it in June last week, gave the most compelling reason to vote no when she with great clarity and simplicity said regarding the plan, "The scale is large, the complexity is high, the time frame is super short, all three of these dials are turned to high." uh she is right about that and the PFT is deeply concerned about the school consolidation effect on master schedules and class sizes. The district

101does not consider the numbers bargainable um class size numbers that is the numbers those cited to you it's 25 if that is the largest in the future ready plan then I I will be happy about that. Um at the same time however um the district has schools that are grossly underenrolled and it cannot afford to operate and mo modernize more schools than are needed. Most agree that prek to 5 6 to8s and 9 to 12s are far better than K to8s and 6 to 12 which were done to save money ironically. So put a note in your desk before you leave. Don't do that again if you go back to the K to fives and 9 to 12elves. Um the and we we agree that we should be staffed and provide a dynamic, equitable educational

102program accessible to every student. I think we all agree on that too. Um my first contact with PPS was in 1963 when I started kindergarten at KFax and there were about 80,000 students in Pittsburgh public schools at that time. There were more than 150 schools. What if we at every choice to close schools said no? We'd have about one school per kid at this point. You know, there is there is a time when you need to close schools and we are at that time. My recommendation to you is that you vote yes to adopt the resolution at your November legislation meeting and not put it off to December when you have a new board that has to do the budget. >> Thank you for your testimony. >> [laughter] >> And our next speaker this evening

103is Rita Porterfield. While I'm grateful for Mr. Hman's Bio2 teachings and his instilling of labor values in the next generation of labor leaders, I'm not sure I agree on the yes. That said, my concerns are that these decisions to close schools will push out families and push them out disproportionately. um we are going to see middle class folks, white and black, leave the district and it's actually black students that tend to fill our charter schools, not just white middle class kids and upper class kids that have other options. So I am concerned about this continued desperate impact for education for our folks. Likewise, moving the Monasuri magnet in particular into the Lynen school skews its magnet attraction, assuming the maintenance or continuence of a weighted lottery system or a partial lottery system toward lily white

104point breeze away from its original Homewood roots and certainly outside of the balance that friendship brings right now. [sighs] Closing gifted. I am thrilled to hear that we're going to talk about universal testing, but godamn if it doesn't hurt to hear we're going to universally test and take away the goal. We're going to take away the gifted center that works. I'm not saying that other schools haven't made it work at the elementary level, but by and large that K through eight program that we have, sure it's old school, sure it's a little old-fashioned, but that one kid at Alagany Traditional, what are you going to do with the money that that kid would be afforded? That's not enough to create a gifted program for just one child. So again, removing the goalpost or maybe opening

105the doors, but then removing the building. That doesn't work. Lastly, I'm going to ask that you invest in union contracts and our contract employees. That includes your clerical. That includes your custodial. That includes your teachers. Keep them here. Invest in them. invest in innovative innovative teaching methods like Monasuri method and expand it because it has the best outcome across class across race across any other way that would be dividing us. And for those workers that you require to live in the city, pay them like you require them to live in the city. I can't stress this enough, but to see these in outcomes over and over, generation after generation. When I was in Pittsburgh public, there were 13 high schools. We're down to how many? Closing doesn't lead to anything other than breaking the backs

106of labor. And we should be a district putting forth. >> Thank you for your testimony. >> Thank Thank you. And now we'll have Jude Porterfield. Testing. Testing. One, two, three. I don't have to test this microphone, but apparently you have to test our patience. Hopefully this year there will be thanks in Thanksgiving. You can help that. Don't move the monastery school. Don't close the gifted center. Me and 290 299 other kids, including Charlie and Lucy, are going to lose friends. And me and maybe nine or so of her third years, we're looking forward to play basketball on the Monasur Eagles. Life is short. Life is hard. Don't make it shorter. and don't make it harder. I can't stand this. We talk. You might listen. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Jude Porterfield. >> Thank you

107for your testimony. >> And our next speaker is Phil Porterfield. Hi, I'm Phil Porterfield. It's my son. You heard from my wife. I'm here also to represent Monasuri. I'm actually the PTA president. And uh there are so many people here that we got stuck in the cafeteria. So, I missed some of the testimony. So, I'm just double-checking to keep score. The guy that I saw up here was the only guy that vote asked you to vote yes so far. Is that correct? Everyone else asked you to vote no. Or did I miss something? I believe everyone else ask you to vote no. I'm in touch with a lot of parents there as president of the PTA and I asked them a simple question. If we move friendship to Lyndon, what will you do? Not a

108single parent could give me a positive answer that they would definitely move their child to Lyndon or allow them to go to Lyndon next year. Every one of those parents said that if Monasuri stayed at Monasuri and in friendship that they would stay. you're going to lose students just by that simple math. Now, with a little bit of philosophical nature, when my son asks me for something or if I ask him to do something and he says, "Dad, why why do I have to do that?" One of the most inefficient answers that I can give him is I told you so. That's why. That's why you have to do it because I told you so. It's much more effective to reason and give him an understanding that possibly my decision after our discussion might allow

109us to come out with that outcome that we still do it the way either he wants it to do it or I want to do it. I've looked at this plan left, right, and sideways, and you've heard so much about it tonight, and I know you know about it. Whenever he asks me, "Dad, why do I have to go to Lyndon?" The only answer that I can give him is, "Son, see these folks right here? It's because they told you so." Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Sarah Zango. >> Hi everyone, my name is Sarah. I urge you to vote no on agenda item 17.01. Um the administration's narrative throughout this process has been that they are they have been thoughtful, thorough, measured and that the community and

110the board are holding up this progress. The narrative is that we are the roadblocks. The narrative is that we are the problem. We, the board and the community are not the problem. We are the solution. The future ready plan that you are voting on tomorrow looks surprisingly similar to the initial facilities utilization plan introduced 15 months ago. I have attended many of the administration's community listening sessions and there was very little listening. Each one of them was some version of how this plan is going to work or how it will be better or why should we we should like it. It was never listening. It was just propaganda. Never once have I seen evidence that the administration has data checked, slowed down of its own accord or thought about the serious flaws in this plan.

111The administration h has not been insightful, community oriented or self-aware about the plan. they change the plan or become more transparent only when forced by the board or the community. The board and the community has done everything that the administration has requested. We've shown up. We've listened. We've contributed. Our contribution has gone as far as developing and offering an alternative plan. The board members themselves held open dialogue sessions, individual listening sessions, one-on-one Zoom conversations, and email updates. Their heart and soul has gone into trying to understand and help the administration to adapt this plan and make it a workable solution solution. But we're still here with a plan that overpromises, underdelivers, and cannot be executed on the pro the provided timeline. I think if we as the community could look at this plan and even

112see one of the core tenants executed, we'd be on board. For instance, if it saved millions of dollars and threw us back onto solid financial footing, great. Maybe we could justify it. If it truly prioritized equity and raised up the students that have been left behind time and time again, of course, yes. If it promised a new creative way to educate that addresses years of declining enrollment and student attrition, okay, we're in. But it does none of these things. If you have a bad feeling in your gut about this plan, it's because it's a bad plan. There are better ways to achieve equity, financial stability, and educational ex excellence in Pittsburgh. You need to have an administration that will take a holistic and creative approach to solving our current problems rather than reluct reluctantly making

113micro adjustments to a deeply flaw flawed blueprint. I thank the board for its tireless work on this front. I know that you're tired. I do not envy your position, but please consider that the wrong step forward might be stepping PPS into the grave. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Rosanne Lavine again, Rosanne Lavine. We'll move to the next speaker, Vanessa >> Good evening. I'm going to keep this short and basically speak to those who are not completely convinced which way to vote yet. I heard you asking really thoughtful and important questions and I appreciate that you waited for two years and you still don't have the answers and our students are entitled to better. Education is a human right. Please vote no to this halfbaked plan. Voting

114yes for the sake of change would be more of the same. and we'll be back here for more closures down the line if we don't do this right. And also, if this superintendent and administration cannot present a progressive plan that works for the community, then I think it's time to get a new superintendent. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker, Rachel Kenny. Good evening everybody. Horus man who was the father of American public education devoted his life to establishing universal public education. He believed democracy could not survive without free schools available to every child regardless of wealth or background. He called education the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance wheel of social machinery. He insisted that these schools must be publicly funded, publicly controlled, and publicly accountable,

115not selective, not sectarian, not privatized. He's also the namesake of an abandoned Pittsburgh public school in the north side that I pass by every day where, if I remember correctly, Director Barker went to kindergarten. Um, good evening. I'm Rachel Canning. Um, I live on the north side. I was raised on the north side. I began my Pittsburgh public schools career 46 years ago as a kindergartener at Manchester Elementary. Today I'm the parent of a kindergartener at John Marorrow Elementary. I'm committed to this district because I want my daughter to go to school with her neighbors and I want all our city's children to have access to the best educational opportunities. Like Horus man, I believe in the promise of public education. I will be invested here for the next 12 years at least. And my

116uh if I get cut off, I will email board members that my testimony. Um, I urge anyone uncertain about the future ready plan to reconsider what you are voting for. When the superintendent pulled drafting this plan in house and away from the uh consultants, he reframed it as a vision for equity. I think that framing is dishonest. I'm grateful that Miss Wanda Henderson um confirmed that the EAP was not even consulted by um Walter's team during the writing of this. I think this is a reckless plan that disproportionately harms black children and it's being marketed as racial justice. Sadly, I think the true purpose may be to accelerate the dissolution of a strong, adequately resourced central school district and replace it with a portfolio model, a decentralized, undemocratically governed, selectively accessible uh portfolio of public

117and charter schools. This is not equity. This is abandonment dressed in the language of innovation. This [clears throat] is how urban districts sadly in the 21st century continue disinvesting in black children and urban neighborhoods and vulnerable communities. Many in this city have been convinced that opposing this plan means opposing change um opposing racial equity and I think this is a cruel inversion of reality. Closing public schools including low enrollment low-enrolled black neighborhood schools and popular magnets while charter costs explode does not change. It is sadly the status quo in this century. For the record, I'm not opposed to ending magnets, closing the gifted center, or implementing a regional model. But you could have proposed transitions for currently enrolled families. Transitions that could have built up neighborhood schools while maintaining trust. And instead, this district has

118chosen to disrupt without support. Universal access for all children to gifted programs to >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Bella Ballin. I often joke that I am the hidden Gen Z in the room. Despite despite my youth, I was born in the 1900s and I barely predate Google and YouTube. My whole K12 life was shaped by big reforms that were sold as equity. No child left behind was supposed to help kids like me. In my family, the siblings who grew up in that system, I of the siblings who grew up in that system, I am the only one who finished college and has a stable career. That is 33% that is a 33% success rate. On paper, the numbers might average out for children. Everyone who falls through the cracks

119is a whole story that is lost. So when I read this 155page plan and watched meeting after meeting, my gut reaction was familiar. I heard the same messages I grew up with. The system was not built for you. Your problems are small compared to the big picture. If you can just deal with the disruption and trust the process, everything will be fine. Let us call a spade a spade. The district does not have enough money. While watching the meetings, especially when it got a little spicy, it was clear that every person in this room cared. We are trying to share scarcity. The plan talks about equity and efficiency, but a lot of it a lot of it is about passing around what little we have. But, you know, we are in survival mode when the

120history of segregation, redlinining, school closures, and families leaving the system is treated like background. If we do not face that and if we only shuffle buildings and bus routes, you cannot expect me to believe that we will get the gains this plan is promising. As a kid, I learned that systems cannot be trusted. As an adult, I know that systems are not automatically bad, but they have to earn trust. Right now, this plan asks families to trust that when you break apart working school communities, something better will appear. That promise was made all throughout my education and it was never kept. My one request is simple. If you are going to move this forward, you have to make the system navigable and give families real choices. Right now, parents are told that they can have

121their neighborhood school or one magnet. The website and the phone lines are confusing. Information is uneven. Families who have time, money, or connections can find options. Families who do not are stuck. You are breaking apart places that work like Wolsair, Liberty, and my daughter's school, Dworth, where many of us feel we have finally found something that works. If you are going to implement this plan in the name of the future, you was you owe us a system we can move through today and options that respect the communities you are disruption disrupting. While you are focused on being future ready, our children are sitting in your classrooms right now. They cannot be treated as collateral. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Miss Plet Foster. Good evening. My name is

122Mrs. Pette Foster. I am co-founder of Education Rights Network. I'm tired. I'm here to speak for the children who we will be harmed the most by this plan. The children the district keeps saying it's wants to center but continues to overlook. We've heard a lot in the last week about the students can expect next year. A year of culture building, a year of prep preparation before any new programs or support appears. But what no one from the district has explained is this. What happens to the child? You will forced to move to a different school who cannot afford to wait a year. What happens to the student who needs stability the service and services on day one not someday? There are over 6,000 children who will be uprooted from their schools next year, separated from

123their trusted adults, routines, classmates, and support teams who know them. There are 1,600 students with disabilities whose IEPs are legal documents, not optional, not flexible, and not something that can be paused while you build culture with logos, chance, morals, morale, and rebranding. These plans give no concrete details about how services may need to change during mass transitions. With new overcrowded classrooms and and staff reduction, what happens to a student who relies on consistency? because consistency is only thing helping them to learn. Or students who struggle with transitions, students who rely on predictability schedule and students who need calm structure environments. 16% of our students experience homelessness will we will be impacted by this plan. These students already face tremendous instability and this plan doesn't even address them. 25% of our students developing the English language

124will move to a different school. Instead of clearly explaining how you will educate these students with equity in mind, the districts keep repeating the same talking point, culture first. Let me be blunt. You can't build culture belonging without you. You cannot build belonging after you've already disable destabilized a child. You cannot build trust after you already broken it. And you cannot build equity by displacing the very student our systems have failed the most. What students need is a plan, a real plan with real timelines, real staffing and programming commitments, and real protection. For students who have been miseducated for so long or tomorrow, you must vote no and commit to doing the hard work of creating a plan that benefits and protects every student, including those with the greatest needs. Thank you. Please don't leave

125our kids behind. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Jasine Worthy. Good evening. I will begin my testimony tonight speaking directly to all of the families, community members, and stakeholders because we're the ones who live with the impact of these decisions, not this board. The district has given us a document filled with polished language, words like equity, equity, excuse me, excellence, efficiency, and modernization. But when you strip away the buzzwords, the message becomes painfully clear. In this plan, it states that this is a bold, equity centered road map, but what it really is is a district-wide reorganization built on school closures, grade changes, and rush timelines. and our children are the ones who will pay the price. They say it's data informed. Yet [clears throat] every meeting, every document, every presentation shows

126gaps, missing numbers, and assumptions, not evidence. They say it's about giving students moderate opportunities. But those opportunities only come after they close schools, move kids around, and cut staff. And finally, they proudly claim authentic community engagement. But we were invited after the plan was written. Being informed is not the same as being involved. I'm done pretending that this language means something it does not. It is reckless to make a decision of this size. And some of our board members can't even get answers to give you answers to the questions you ask. They cannot close schools, reassign thousands of children, and disrupt entire communities without showing the public the most basic information. Where are the projections for the next five to ten years? Where's the financial breakdown? Not just it'll save money, but actual dollar amounts.

127Where is the academic research show showing this will improve learning? Where is a community impact report? Because right now, we are being asked to trust a plan that has none of this. This is not transparency. This is not accountability. And this is not leadership. How can they call a plan future ready when they can't even show us the present reality? This is a plan full of promises but empty of proof. We have been told to trust a process, but how can we trust a process that has provided no measurable facts? How can we trust a plan that seems to be moving faster than the information needed to justify it? This is not how you build stability. This is how you create chaos. So, let me make this simple. This plan is rushed. This plan is

128unclear. This plan is too big. And it's too risky to push through by next school year. And it does not put our kids first. And to the board members, in case you forgot, you can't silence us, right? You should be ashamed, right? I stand here and break the silence for those before me and after me. To all of you, vote no. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Jalia Hayden. Hello, my name is Julia and I'm in seventh grader at Kappa. I want to talk about something the the district keeps saying that this plan is supposed to give all students equity opportunities and modern learning. I hear those words a lot, but what I don't see is the proof. At Kappa, I already have the kinds of opportunities this plan talks about.

129I have access to art programs, teachers who encourage me, um spaces where I can grow, and classes that challenge me. My little brothers go to Wool Slayer. They deserve the same opportunities I have. But this plan does not show how they would get there. It doesn't show what programs they'll have access to after their school closes. It doesn't show how they will be supported. It doesn't show how their new school is actually prepared to give me anything better. You cannot give them anything better. You cannot promise equity and excellence without showing us how you're going to achieve it. Where is the proof that closing their school will improve their educ education? Where is the explanation of how this will make their learning better? Right now, all we have are words, no facts. My brothers shouldn't

130have to lose their school based on a plan that hasn't shown any evidence it will help them. They shouldn't have to go through anxiety, fear, or confusion because their adults created a plan without thinking about its real impact. They deserve better. All students deserve better. So I'm not ask So I'm asking you as a student and as a sister do not move forward with a plan that has no real data, no real proof, and no real answers. Please vote no. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. And next we'll have David Hatten. Hello, my name is David and I am in fifth grade and I am a fifth grade student at Wire. I keep hearing the district say that closing my school will make things better for me, but nobody showing us any proof

131of that. Every time a question is asked, the answer is just more words. There are no numbers. There are no charts. There are no facts. If you want to close my school and move me somewhere else, you shouldn't you be able to show how that helps me? Where is the data that shows a new school will give me a better learning? Where is the information about class sizes? Where is the plan for what programs I will actually get? Where is the proof that the building I'm being moved to can fit all of us? Where is the transportation plan that explains how long it will take to get me there right now? Nobody can answer answer these questions. Not my mom or my teachers, not the board, not even the people who created the plan. So

132So why should we trust it? I like my school. I feel safe there. I know my teachers and my friends. But even if you think something else might be better, we need proof. You shouldn't be You should You should not close a school without showing students and families clear information. This is our education. This is our future. We deserve answers. Please vote no. Thank you for your testimony. And our next speaker is Elijah Mitchell. Hi, my name's Elijah. I'm 7 years old and I go to Wolf Slayer. Wool Slayer. I heard that my school might close, but nobody can't. can explain why I don't understand how it helps me. I didn't see anything anything that I said what my new school would be like if you're going to move me. Shouldn't you show what happens

133to me? I don't know if I'll get more help or less help. I don't know if the building is ready for more kids. I don't know how far I'll have to ride or walk. I don't know what will be better for me because nobody showed us any facts. My school feels safe to me. I know my teachers. I know my friends. I don't want to leave you, Slayer, without seeing real proof that it will help me learn better. Kids like me deserve answers, too. Not just big words, not just promises. We deserve real facts. Please don't close my school. Please vote no. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Emily Sawyer. Good evening. I don't believe for a second that Manchester deserves to close. I believe that when we start

134trying to justify which buildings deserve to close and which don't, we have already lost. When it comes right down to it, you haven't convinced me that the deal our families and communities are being offered is a legitimate one. I am not convinced that the change that is needed is closing schools or that closing schools will suddenly make possible so many promises, many of which have been made before and not delivered. I support ending elementary magnet programs. Heck, I support ending all magnet programs. I support moving delivery of gifted education into school buildings. I support a consistent service delivery model and resource allocation calculation that ensures all schools can deliver an excellent and consistent educational experience to all of our students regardless of enrollment. But the district has shown itself to be unwilling to do what

135is necessary to create equity. Equitable isn't about the amount, it's about the distribution. If we are not equitably distributing resources now, I have no reason to believe we can do it if we have less stretched resources. I support a new consistent service delivery model, but the proposed schedules are highly, highly problematic and have hardly been discussed. If a vote for this resolution is a vote to approve those schedules, then a no vote is imperative. That's how bad they are. I love the idea of focusing on school culture. That's what I stand up here talking to you guys about almost every month. But again, you have not convinced me that we need to close schools in order to do this or that once you have closed schools, you have the will and ability to actually do

136what needs to be done. Lastly, I want to challenge white people, especially white and socioeconomically privileged people. If we are threatening to leave the public school district when we don't get our way, I think we need to ask ourselves what legacy we are making ourselves part of. We may think that we are justified this time, but so did those who came before us. When we created segregationmies, closed down entire school districts rather than integrate, engaged in white flight, and created our own separate school districts. When we refuse to bus our students for desegregation in the name of neighborhood schools, but we have no problem busing our students across town for the exclusivity of a boutique magnet school. We may think the district is leaving us no choice, but we always have a choice. We've always

137had the most choices. And if we leave taking our students resources with us, we will be allying ourselves with forces that are divesting from public education. Whether we mean to or not, we can stay and be part of building something better for all the district students. or we can bail because we didn't get our way, just like we always have. Audrey Lord says it best. Your privilege is not a reason for guilt. It is part of your power to be used in support of those things you say you believe. Because to absorb without use is the greatest error of privilege. How much of your lives are you willing to spend merely protecting your privilege status? Is that more than you are prepared to spend putting your dreams and beliefs for a better world into action?

138>> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is April Clesora. Good evening, folks. With the plan that's in front of the board, even with some of the clarifications and modifications, the only thing that does seem assured is that it's going to be a boon to the private and parochial schools and the charters as well. Even as some of us are committed to staying and seeing this through, I've heard several parents talking about where we'll go and its private schools inside and outside the district, charters, homeschooling, and unschooling, which many families can't even begin to consider doing. I worry that in the case of Greenfield once it would become a K to5 and we would be depending on a lot of families from Squirrel Hill to come there and fill it, we won't have enough

139students actually come, especially if it's done during the same time as the 376 East Highway reconstruction. Instead of what we have, we may end up with a building that has so many empty seats that it's no longer viable itself. And Greenfield has been cited by the district as a model for reading success. But the people who face their school closing now have bigger problems. And we as a district have to look as a whole. For board members who believe closing buildings is the absolute correct path and it's destined to happen and we might as well get it over with. And for board members who have misgivings, here's why I think you should definitely vote no on the current plan. I believe in the value of each and every one of our schools. But even some

140of you as a board member who supports closures should still never vote to close so many multiple schools in one year. This plan is phased but in a way that still requires widespread physical movement all in one year. It describes a period of settling in and focusing on people then programming. But I believe building enough confidence with your families would require building on one small success, such as at the most starting with only one or two schools in transition. Put enough resources into that transition and really do it right with extra staffing and support for those students and families and best practice programming, not just as a guinea pig. Prove to parents that it can be done and can be positive. That should be your goal, not coming in with a grand plan that has

141several failure points. Many people here tonight have spoken to the numbers and specifics, and I appreciate their work. My thought on the plan overall is that it makes widespread change, but without giving parents some of the things that they most want. And um one of those things that I hear a lot is uh more safety. But this plan gives us uh substantial cut in positions. Um even if you take into account some of the positions uh that are already being unfilled or retirements or attrition. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Mayan Harris. Hi. Um, this is the first meeting I've ever attended and I don't know exactly what I'm going to say. I don't know what I have to say that hasn't been said already. I and when I do think about

142what I want to say, I can't compete with all of the different things that are happening right now. The thing that stuck out to me is um the word displacement. It's a word that we hear in a lot of communities here in our country, here in our neighborhood, here in our city, here as in the world. Um, and we have seen the psychological effects of displacement, a removal from community, a removal from consistency, a removal from networks of care. Um, I only spent, I think in total, six years at Pittsburgh public schools and each year I grew in ways that I never thought I would or I never Yeah. And just I grew and I learned to interact with the world. I learned to interact with people I care about, people who are different from

143me, people who are similar from me. Um it Pittsburgh public schools helped me reimagine what was possible for my life, what options I had, where um I could go. I think that especially hearing about elementary schools closing, especially hearing from the children who are all around us, I I can recognize that they're facing uncertainty. They're facing grief. They're facing grief for the people who care about them, the people that they care about, the things that they want to do. We hear about what was I forget which sport, but someone was like that they wanted to play the sports team. They were really excited with their friends and just to have something to look forward to is so important in times of uncertainty, in times of instability, in times of struggle, financially, socially, wherever. Um, and

144I just wanted to say that anything that we can do to keep our existing communities intact, anything anything we can do to keep the networks of care that our kids have access to is a win for me. I I think that hearing a yes versus a no is very stark, but a no can be a not yet. A not this, a not right now. Thank you. Yes, that's all. Thank you for your testimony. Transitioning to our virtual testimony. >> Could we I'm sorry. Um we've been at this for a little over two hours. So, I'd like to give everyone in the room here about five minutes to use the restroom or get water. Uh and then we will continue with our virtual testimonies. Thank you. Dave, do we have to do anything to restart or

145are we good to just restart? >> All right, I'm gonna ask everybody to get back to their spaces and we will resume our public hearing. Um, and I will turn the meeting back over to Mrs. McBride to lead us through the rest of the way. >> Thank you, President Walker. >> Our next speaker is Joshua Yallerie. Joshua Yallerie Our next speaker, Janine Roer. Good evening, everybody. Thank you all for being here and providing me the time to speak tonight. My child attends Minado Elementary, a school we love. I am speaking here tonight to encourage you all to vote no on the future ready plan. I get this vision of going on a vacation without a plan. You arrive, you don't know where you're going to sleep or how you're going to get to the next

146place. And this all just sounds like a nightmare. For two years, I've attended these meetings watching and waiting for what I thought would arrive, a comprehensive plan. And I worry now that you will all vote with the assumption that no means no forever, and that a plan isn't possible. And I want to encourage you to wait for an actual plan, one with dates and details and answers to many of our questions. A lot of questions that haven't been answered. And look, I love PPS and I'm grateful for the education it provides to the children of my community, including my own. And we're a Pittsburgh public school family today and tomorrow. But I really do not want to go on this trip with you. I want a plan, a staged plan, and if dreams can come

147true, one that rolls out over two or even three years. Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but closing schools and relocating children across the district is hard work. It is difficult and it's a logistical nightmare. Please vote no. Wait for a real plan. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Justin Grilluchian. Hello everyone. My name is Justin. Um I'm urging you today to vote no on the future ready facilities plan. My family lives in Highland Park. We have one fourth grader at Fulton, one sixth grader at Kappa who spent three wonderful years at Fulton. We're hoping our fourth grader can finish out there as well. Our family moved from overseas and we picked Pittsburgh in part because of Fulton, which anchors a neighborhood of Highland Park. It has a diverse

148student body and a strong French language program. Um, our family was looking for stability to be rooted in a welcoming community and our enrollment at Fulton was the culmination of our search for a new home. We're strong believers in the moral underpinnings of the public school system, including inclusivity and equity, and we wanted our children to be exposed to the same. We're hoping that PPS values that as well. Um, the fact that a firm from outside the city was brought in to determine what is best for our community schools, which once closed Fulton without starting with an equity study rooted in our community, tells us what we need to know. We're learning that PPS is choosing to take shortcuts to achieve predetermined outcomes that do not accurately reflect what's happening in our school. Neighborhood schools

149such as Fulton should be cultivated, not handicapped, in order to attract more people to the PBS system. Such dysfunction within our system gives credence to those who want to move more public dollars to charter and private schools, options that are not open and available to all students. Our family believes in creating opportunities for everyone, which starts in our own community and which is what we moved here for. So, start this process over with community- based decisions about how to improve the what PPS has already spent years developing. There's still time. Please vote no. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Holly Cox. >> Good evening. My name is Holly Cox and I'm the parent of a ninth grader at Alderdise in a class of 2021 Obama graduate. Both of my

150children went to Pittsburgh Lyndon for elementary school and my daughter was at Kappa for middle school. Our family has been in the district since 2008. My children have both had good experiences at their schools and the majority of the time we've had positive experiences with teachers and administrators. Overall, I've spent the last 17 years advocating for the schools and encouraging families to stay in the district. It doesn't always work, but I'm a proponent of public education and I believe in the greater good. The current plan makes advocating for PPS that much harder. A friend of mine in the West End had one neighbor switch their student to a parochial school this year. Two more of her neighbors are moving out of the city and one of them is a PPS teacher. Online posts and comments

151and ongoing testimony from affected families do not reflect a plan that is creating clarity, confidence, and connection before change has begun. For instance, the lack of clarity around transportation is concerning. Have conversations been happening between PPS and PRT, the mayor's office, city council, other departments that could shed light on planning for the district? In June, I sent an email to each member of the board sharing concerns about the plan. In that email, I shared links to a few similar plans across the country. One was in DC, which is of course a much larger district. But what impressed me about their plan was that they contacted city council members to discuss how families in their areas would be impacted. They talked to housing and planning offices at the city to see what forecasting looked like so

152that those elements could be built into the plan. It seems that is something that hasn't happened here. If it has, I could be wrong about that. Please let us know. But these are conversations that are valuable for our schools and our transportation needs. It's one thing to say that a child lives within the one and a half mile range and therefore can walk to school. It's another to see what that route to get to school actually looks like. These conversations matter. The lack of specifics around academics and resources is also an issue. What will program offerings at all of the schools look like? How will they be equitable equitable? What can families expect? If we don't have answers yet for a five-year plan, then maybe a vote shouldn't happen until we can answer some of

153these questions. No one is saying they don't want change. But what is being said is families would like a better idea of what change looks like before a plan is agreed to. Especially since these are things that families are being told won't happen until years between years 2 and five. How can you expect people to get behind the plan when we don't have a clear idea of what it will look like? Please vote no on going forward with the plan. Thanks for your time and consideration. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Annette Hall. Good evening, PPS board. Where do I even start? Dr. Walters, why when asked about students with disabilities, did you not answer and completely ignored the question? If you care for all of our students like you say

154you do, your actions would show it. It has become very clear by your actions the students with disabilities don't matter. You want to push an incomplete plan through that benefits who you as your raises depend on PPS school board. The PPS school success. Just a reminder, this is this is all about our students, not about you. Board members, now is your chance to do the right thing. Please think about the consequences of your actions if you vote yes to a very messy plan with no signs it's even going to work. And many of you have even questioned this. There's no plan for students with disabilities and IEPs. Board members, Dr. Walters has made it very clear he has no he doesn't care about the students with disabilities and IEPs. It's up to you board members

155to protect these students. Jean, this is for you. I truly urge you to look at this all of this plan before you vote tomorrow. Think about how the actions of this plan could be very negative effects on so many students. Not having a plan for students with disabilities, medical conditions, and IEPs could actually not emotionally hurt students, but also physically. Larger class sizes and teachers and staff not knowing and understanding conditions like my daughters and many others. And not having a plan for these students like this is dangerous and could actually be deadly. You all may think me saying this plan could be deadly may be extreme, but look at the facts. Suicide in numbers have risen with students and is always going up due to anxiety, depression. What do you think will happen? Moving

156these kids to different schools with all this stress as well as students like my youngest daughter who has an immuno deficiency. Larger class sizes and small rooms means an even higher risk of infection spreading with greater risk of very serious compet complications to her medical condition. Devon and Jean, I know you've gotten sweet hugs from Maddie. Imagine not being able to get them. There is no plan for these students. Vote no, replan to include these students. Vote no. Work on a better plan to regain the trust of the community. A yes vote shows no shows no action or care for our students. A no vote and back to the drawing board shows you all care. Actions speak louder than words. It's time to see you all in action for the right reasons, our students. Thank

157you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Emily Kaine. Emily Kaine. Hi, I'm unmuted. Um, I have been here before asking you to protect PPS Fton, where my son is a fifth grader, a thriving majority minority school that houses one of our regional autism support classrooms. Um, I'm here tonight to ask the board to vote no on the future ready plan. Everyone in this situation together. All of the stakeholders, administrators, students, teachers, parents, support staff, volunteers, and neighbors are working really hard to stay engaged in caring for our children, their futures, and therefore the future of our city. We all know that the majority of care for children in our community and throughout this country is either unpaid or poorly paid. I'm here to express that it is disheartening and demoralizing to

158watch Dr. Walters, one of the few affected stakeholders who extreme is extremely well paid for his labor to care for our children, repeatedly refuse to supply clear planning, information, and responses to questions that teachers, parents, and students have been bringing for almost two years about how this plan might increase equity and either maintain or improve, let's hope, academic outcomes in our schools. It's okay not to know. It is disturbing to watch Dr. Walters refuse to go find out and report back to the board unless they comply with his ideas. To our board members, you represent us, your constituents, and Dr. Walters works for you, not the other way around. Unlike the majority of people who will be impacted by proceeding with the current state of the future ready plan, he has paid for this work

159and he chose to take it on. The beauty and hope of public education is that it is held within a system of public accountability. Please require Dr. Walters to do his job. Respond to community concerns and provide clear planning before you give him the opportunity to begin implementing the future ready plan. Um, and just two more points. I'm going to cut to the end. I'd also like to ask you to consider two other issues that are impacting learning for all of our students. One is adopting a cell phone ban in our schools. And the other is considering adopting a clear policy on when and how students will inter interact with artificial intelligence within our school buildings, within a school day and via publicly owned school devices. Thank you for your work. Thank you for volunteering

160to be here to our board. And thank you especially to our community elders, Wanda Henderson, Sarah Martin, Robbie Ali, Shirleyanne Hill. I'm forgetting a few, but they all got up and spoke tonight to share the wisdom that they've earned. and they deserve our respect. They deserve our listening and they deserve to be taken seriously as do all of the stakeholders affected by this plan. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Margarite Link. >> Okay. Hi. So, thank you for your time tonight. I know you've been there a long time uh listening to a lot of people. Um I I would hope that you would all vote no. um on this plan. Um I this is the first time I'm chiming in. I have two kids um in schools that are

161not going to be affected except for the fact that they might lose a lot of their friends. Um so the my daughter in particular at PCA, she's going to be impacted and um I'm worried about her um because in the end parents have to do what's best for their children. Um we're going to keep everybody there. Um hope for the best, but I just I don't see it. Um, and I'm a Shenley alum. I'm very pro Pittsburgh public schools. Shenley closed. Um, so I'm okay with change. That was extremely upsetting at the time, but I'm I'm, you know, we we we stuck with the public schools anyway. Um, and I'm really disheartened to hear that that the Hill District and a lot of these communities have not been consulted. As a Shenley alum, the Hill

162District, it's not where I'm from, but I pray for them. I worry about them. Um their their interests are my interests. Um and if they're if those community members are not happy, something is majorly wrong. Um you you really need to be talking to teachers, talking to the community members, talking to people who've lived here for decades. Um and then then start start something. You're voting on an idea right now. That's not a plan. I'm an idea person. I love ideas. I was super excited when this was all starting two years ago. I participated in the in all of the um surveys and I was like, "Yes, we're going to finally really move forward with equity in this city. It's been a very inequitable city for so long. It's pretty segregated historically um and and

163is now. Um, and I was so hopeful and this plan is just not giving me any any hope that that is that's where you're going. Um, it it's you need to vote on a plan that has that has facts behind it that has that has put the community first um and talk to experts in this area. Um, voting an idea it shouldn't be a yes. it should be you should be voting on something where you know the details, you know the phases. Um so I just hope that we can trust that Pittsburgh public schools moving forward. Um and you know I just I hope for our kids that they're not um they're not disproportionately affected. I mean it's just affects so many kids sweeping changes for for and I just am not seeing um I'm

164not seeing the plan. I'm not sure what this plan is or how it's going to help anybody. Um, and that's disappointing to me. So, please vote no. Um, and I look forward to to seeing the the development as you guys >> testimony. Our next speaker is Raqu Bay. Everyone, um, my name is Rockweed Bay. I'm the founder and executive director of the Black Urban Garders and Farmers of Pixsburg Co-op. I reside in Homewood and I am also was raised in Homewood in the Hill. No, for this school closing, this plan is ridiculous. Um, I'm going just be honest, our board member out here in Homewood, we don't see you. Most of us didn't even know who your name was at the time. And something isn't right with this. something is is a miss because all

165of a sudden we're seeing this collaboration with the land bank, the URA, Pittsburgh public schools, and the mayor's office. To me, I'm going just be straight with you. It sound like a backing deal, especially that you want these schools closed. Something's not right. Let us remind you, be you a school board member, mayor, um, city council member, we voted you in the office and we can vote you out of office as well. Let us remind you there is no problem with us filing lawsuits against you all because something isn't right here. I smell corruption and it could be proven. Um, I live down the street from Western House. Western House students do not have what they need. They never have, even under Miss Sylvia's watch. Are you going to do better? If you want to

166do better, vote no. This is not a plan. This was hardly any community engagement because you were forced to do community engagement. Please, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Really. And I'm um what's happening on the hill? Is this what you're going to do to Hill District students, to Hill District parents? This is really a form of gentrification and you know it. You know this. We shouldn't have to tolerate this. What about the students with IEPs? Okay. Um and disabilities, overcrowded classrooms, and pay attention to what we're saying. That's only true. And I want to thank people like Renee Wilson who spoke, Miss Pette Angel, Pam Harding for being there for students with disability and learning sessions. Vote no to that plan. And remember, something isn't right with this. Um, you are a land bank

167all of a sudden doing a collective with the board of education and you want to close school. Who's getting a backend deal? Thank you very much. Vote no. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Carrie Welsh. >> Hello. Um, I'm speaking today as both a Pittsburgh public schools teacher at Wolair K through 5 as well as a parent of PPS students who attend Folton K through 5. Um, I'm urging you to vote no on the current facilities utilization plan because it lacks the essential academic detail needed to justify closing successful schools and reassigning students to lower performing ones. A plan of this ma magnitude cannot simply rearrange buildings. It must clearly outline that teaching, learning, and student support, sorry, what teaching, learning, and student supports will look like once students are moved. This

168proposal does not. We still lack information about how receiving schools will be academically structured, what staffing changes or supports will be in place, what programs will be replaced, sorry, will replace the specialized instructions that magnet schools currently provide, how class sizes, schedules, and services will be affected, and what the timeline is for improvements and how success will be measured. Without these details, there is no way to evaluate whether this plan will protect, support, or improve student learning. Wolsler and Fulton are successful schools where students are thriving. Asking families to leave high quality learning environments for schools that are currently low performing is unreasonable without clear evidence that those schools will improve and without a plan showing how that improvement will happen. The district has not provided academic model, curriculum plans, staffing commitments, intervention structures, or

169accountability measures for the schools that would receive displaced students. What this proposal ultimately asks is for families to gamble with the academic futures of their children. No parent should be asked to take that risk without a concrete evidence-based plan showing that their students, sorry, their children will be at least as well served, if not better, than where they are now. Closing schools without proving without a proven successor model put students at risk for academic aggression, instability, and disrupting learning. Students deserve stability, clarity, and strong instructional environments. And this plan provides none of that. For these reasons, I am desperately asking you to vote no on the current facilities utilization plan and require a detailed academic proposal before making decisions that will profoundly affect children across this district. Thank you very much for your time. >>

170Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Abby Folds. >> Hello. Um, please vote no tomorrow. When I first heard about this plan, I was incredulous. I thought this plan is so ridiculous. The board members care about Pittsburgh's kids. Once they think it through, they won't vote for this. But the ridiculousness has not gotten better. You may think that it's only a few people who care about what's going on here and who are objecting to the plan, but that's not true. As we all know, families with school age kids are so busy with school activities, work, social responsibilities. Please do not think that just because you're not hearing more objection that this is tacid approval. It is not. Most people don't know or don't have time to show up to protest. I live in

171Elliot in the west end in my childhood home. I went to PPS all through Schaefer, Westside, Frick, Shenley. My kids go to Phillips on the south side. We in the West End are long overlooked. No one listens to us. No one cares about our poor corner of the city. We don't have a robust civil society network that helps encourage people to speak up. Most people in the West End and in the Southside are just trying to get by, so they don't have time to participate in these meetings. You may think that this plan will help an area like ours, but it won't. It will just push more people to leave the district. If this plan goes through, it will make our area fall into even harder times. We will be the poor, forgotten corner of

172the city, as we usually are, but even worse. I know that you all care about the success of PPS kids and PPS as a whole. I know you do. So do all of these families here. I've heard everyone speak tonight and over the past two years and they are inspiring and so insightful and they all have great things to say. Please listen to them. We all want to do right by our kids. There's a reason why almost every single person speaking tonight is against this plan. It's not because they're contrary. You know that this is not the best plan. There are some good things in the plan, but please vote no and keep working on this plan and iron out all the details. Please do not blow up PPS just because you think something, anything,

173needs to be done. Too much is at stake to just go with this flawed plan. You can do better. I know you care. Please vote no. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Shannon Shriner. Hi, I'm Shannon, Bolton parent to a third grader with Down syndrome, Sienna. I wish I could be there in person tonight with my fellow community members, but I'm in Florida. This is the third time in the past two years that I've interrupted a vacation to listen to a district meeting about school closures and I've only been a public school parent for three years. Most times I speak here, I feel like I'm suffering from imposttor syndrome. I'm from Philly. I went to Catholic school for 12 years. My oldest attends private school. And before I had Sienna, I assumed

174all my kids would walk that same path. I named that privilege because I know it shaped how little I understood about public education, its inequities, its politics, and the very real ways charters, vouchers, and loopholes manipulate the system at the expense of the kids who sit next to Sienna every day. Fulton proved my privilege wrong in all the best ways. The kids did it first. their kindness and instinctive inclusion of Sienna. Then the teachers who do so much with so little and take the time to understand diverse learning needs. Then the community, grandparents at pickup, single moms who commute across the city because they care. And the families I don't see because work keeps them away. And lastly was community organizers, pack meeting reps, LTF, and the Monday night regulars you're not allowing to clap

175for each other tonight showed me what real public school community looks like. Raising Sienna forced me out of my comfort zone and into this space. And once I got over myself, I saw opportunities she could never get in suburban districts everyone loves to praise or in private schools that deny her entry. transition supports, community partnerships, and real pathways to independence that only exist in a well-resourced public system. It's why I care not just about Sienna, but about every kid in this district. As the federal government robs public schools of funding, resources, and entire civil rights offices, our schools may be abandoned by parents like me who have options I don't because my kid has a disability. I worry every day about the kids who will be left behind if we move backwards towards segregation. That's

176why I know this plan is morally, ethically, and practically impossible. It enforces those same practices. It steers students with disabilities away from the peers they've been included with since they entered school and toward the nearest building with support rooms. This plan isn't a plan. It's a framework that hopes someone else deals with the consequences of its destruction a year from now. And in that way, it mirrors our federal government. That is why you must vote now. Instead of strengthening what PPS does right, this plan erases strengths like the neighborhood magnet models at Fulton and Wolves. A blend of neighborhood students with magnet. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Jessica McFersonson. Also support allowing the roughly 40 kids total in our third and fourth grades to continue at the school. If their

177parents can provide transportation, we will have the space with the current projected enrollment. I also want to speak to the larger plan. As Liberty's enrollment has fallen over the past couple of years since the pandemic, I've come to understand Challenges faced by other schools in the district with low enrollment. Constant loss of staff. Halftime specialist teachers that frequently change because who wants to split work between schools. Teachers teaching more than one subject and teaching out of their expertise. No extra resources for enrichment activities like student clubs. We have almost no clubs or sports. I think we're similar to many schools in the district and different from some of those schools where people have been the most focal in that the PSO parent group has almost no income and cannot subsidize funding gaps to support extracurricular

178activities or even school field trips. There is a desperate need at low enrollment schools to raise enrollment and staffing levels to a functional level. I also strongly support the idea of uniform standards at every K through5 school in the district. Magnets are fundamentally inequitable and drain resources away from our home schools that they cannot recover. However, I urge the district to provide the detail on what these standards actually are. Every parent should have these standards on hand going forward. There's a long history of performance differences between schools and of inequity in the resources given to different schools. For parents to have any confidence in this plan, we need to have a means to hold the district accountable for uniform standards. We have received notice there will be many meetings for parents to get to know

179the schools in their new forms after the plan is approved. For schools that have historically struggled, these meetings need to show an understanding of what these struggles are and a plan to fix them. The magnet students will be back. So, it will be a different school is not a plan to fix complex and long-standing issues. It may be in some cases that you have planned at these levels, but have not told parents. For example, in the case of the plans to move gifted education out of Greenway and into in-house programs, I learned at a prior meeting that this effort is headed by the former principal of Dworth, under whose leadership a highly successful in-house gifted program was developed that vastly expanded access to include talented kids and maintained a high-quality program. We also learned from

180our parent liaison at Liberty that teachers districtwide were recently given an inservice on how to better serve gifted kids in their regular classrooms and that this had never happened before. Knowing all of that would mean a lot to parents, but there's been no systematic communication to show how this is being done in a thoughtful way, expanding on past successes, and is being led by someone whose past experience equips them to build on the district's most successful and equitable model. The gifted program is another area where parents need standards and means of accountability to hold the district to correcting and not perpetuating past inequities. We need a system to measure the quality of the current program as it exists at Greenway and enable parents to see how their future in-house program and programs across the district

181are matching up. Otherwise, we fear that Kolfax will have an excellent program while less welloff and less wellresourced schools will get a halfbaked effort. If you truly believe in this plan, please give parents across the district the information and the means to hold everyone accountable for implementing it implementing it in an equitable way. Thank you for your time and efforts. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Ashley Ruth. >> I want to begin and acknowledge the intent behind the initiative and the effort that has clearly gone into shaping a plan aimed at preparing us for the future. The phrase future ready sounds bold, confident, and forward thinking. But as we look more closely at the details or in many cases the gaps, it becomes clear that while the vision points towards the

182future, the plan itself is still very much so under construction. A future ready plan should be supported by complete data, realistic timelines, and an infrastructure needed to execute it responsibly. What we currently have fall short of that standard. Critical components remain undefined. Key systems have not been tested and stakeholders, these most directly impacted, aka our children, our students, have not been given the time, the tools, or the clarity necessary to make the transition successfully. Rushing to implement something simply because it carries a forward looking or thinking label does not make it us prepared. In fact, it creates the opposite outcome. Confusion, inefficiency, and avoidable setbacks. If we are serious about becoming future ready, then we must be equally serious about the groundwork required to get there. The future demands thoughtful planning, not hurried promises. It

183requires transparent communications, not assumptions. And most importantly, it requires time to refine the details, address the concerns, conduct the proper testing, and ensure everyone is equipped to carry out what is being asked of them. So yes, the good of becoming future ready is the right one. Excuse me, the goal is the right one. But readiness cannot be declared. It must be built. And right now, the foundation is not strong enough. The plan is still under construction, and moving forward prematurely would jeopardize both its success and the trust of those who make it work. I urge you to pause, reassess, and commit to a timeline that reflects reality rather than aspiration. At minimum, the 2728 school year. Let's do this right, not the fast way. This is how we truly become future ready. Please vote no.

184Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Meline Hall. Please let me know if you can't hear her because she is sick and she doesn't she's not talking as loud. Go ahead. Good evening, PPS4. My name is Maddie. Just going to get right into it. Who >> Please vote no to this plan. After hearing so many of these meetings, there is not enough information to actually say this plan is going to work. and having >> and I have heard no plans on how this will work for students like me with IEP medical conditions. >> unfortunately, I'm sick a lot and I had to miss school work today because of my health. If I have to change to a larger school with more kids and a smaller room as well as teachers

185and staff who aren't not familiar with my conditions without the >> workable plan, >> a workable plan. I'm worried I won't get the help I need as well as the care at I get at my school. Tonight I speak for all the kids like me who have IEP disabilities and medical conditions. >> Vote no and rework the plan. Actually show us you care about the students you >> by your actions. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Abigail Hall. >> Good evening PPS board. My name is Abby from Schiller. I'm here to say this plan should get a failing grade. I have sat and listened to many meetings and yes, I may be a young um student, but it even if I can't see this plan and no proof at

186all it's going to work. And honestly, I see it only will hurt students like me and my sister who who have IEPs. Dr. Walters, I thought you said students are always first. I guess that's not it. Students like me, my sister, and the several other students of PPS who have IEPs for many reasons. Dr. Walters, when you asked about a plan for students with disabilities, you were completely ignored it. PPS board, show students like myself we are not forgotten just because we need some extra help. Actions speak louder than words. It's been pretty clear. Dr. Walters does not care about us students with disabilities by his actions and this plan. But schoolboard members, you can make a difference for all students. Schoolboard members, as a student with an IEP, I ask you to think of

187all students like me. Please vote no for re and rework this plan. Show us students with your actions that you all really do care. Just like this quote by Alex Wayland, actions speak louder than words. Words cost nothing. actions us everything. Tomorrow's vote could cause many students successful success in their future. Do not forget this as you vote. Your actions could change many lives. Thank you. >> Thank you, Abby. Our next speaker is Laura Mullen. >> Hello, I'm Laura Mullen, president of the PTA at Fulton. I don't know how any member of the board can leave a public hearing like this and believe they're representing their constituents by supporting this plan. Throughout this process, the district has appeared impervious to the concerns and needs of its chief constituencies. I hope that that's not the case

188for our school board. In the last two years, I've watched friends and neighbors across the city raise their voices to the district. There have been countless requests for information about plans for transportation, zoning, class sizes, resources, staffing, special education, and so on. These are valid questions from informed parents who want to trust the people in charge of their children's education. The district has not at any point been responsive. Last week, after two years of work, the district presented their final plan, a half-baked picture of the future that they have the nerve to call done. At every meeting I attend, I hear the same thing from parents. It feels like the district doesn't care if everyone leaves the district. It's magical thinking that allows the district to write off all the people who take the time

189to show up on nights like tonight and instead claim there's a silent majority who agrees with them. Maybe the problem is the district isn't composed of elected officials. Certainly, they don't seem to view themselves as representatives of our community. The board, however, is elected. And in the last two years, I've watched board meetings where board members demonstrate their commitment to the people they represent by amplifying the concerns in their communities and bringing constituent questions to the table to demand answers. Recently, some board reps questioned the proposed implementation timeline. It's hard to believe that the changes can be effectively implemented in the two months between the end of this school year and the start of the next school year, particularly given that in the last two years, the district has failed to complete any of the

190tasks on its to-do list. No equity audit, no demographic study, no staffing plan or transportation plan, or real estimates on the cost of updates and renovations. And yet somehow we're supposed to believe the district is going to mobilize so dramatically over the summer that the 6,000 kids who are uprooted will land happily in their new homes. There are board members who have been in support of this plan from the start and appear to remain supportive even as the district has failed to flesh out vital details, has disregarded the timeline recommendations from the consultants that they hired, and failed to show how the numbers add up to put PPS on track for a financially stable future. Do you truly believe that supporting this plan is the best way you can represent your districts? Do you believe

191the schools in your district are so hopeless that families there have nothing to lose by jumping off a cliff with a half- constructed parachute? I'm coming from a school that has a lot to lose and the risks associated with this plan are simply too great. This plan is reckless and the price will be paid by the most vulnerable members of our community, our children. I urge you to vote no on this plan tomorrow. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Beth Sundell. Beth Sundelle. Our next speaker is Pam Harbin. Sorry about the lighting here. Um, I urge you to vote no, not because nothing should change, but because this plan is not ready and you do not have what you need to responsibly approve it, not this month or next

192month. There is no analysis of racial disproportionality. This matters because in this plan, black students are over represented. They make up a higher percentage of students being moved than they do in the district overall. And white students are under representative under represented. They make up a lower percentage of students being moved than they do in the district overall. There is no timeline. Every major initiative comes with a timeline. Your own SOFG vote in September included a detailed two-year timeline. This plan, which moves 6,000 students, closes schools, shifts staff, and promises new programs, has no timeline at all. Key city partners were never consulted. Hundreds of new walkers will need crossing guards for their safety, but the city's Department of Public Safety did not commit to more crossing guards, and no funding exists in the city

193budget to provide additional crossing guards. What exactly are you being asked to vote for? The 10:30 plan does not list new attendance zones. Instead, it sends you to an address lookup tool. Are you voting on attendance zones or the lookup tool? Teacher centers are vaguely mentioned in the plan. Are you voting to approve those? The 10:30 implementation plan mentions the delivery model, but it does not contain the delivery model itself. There are no sample schedules, staffing allocations, or programming. The only place where the delivery model is described with examples and details is the May 21st feasibility report, which is not included in the resolution you are voting on. And to make it even more confusing, the FAQ page on the website incorrectly implies that the 10:30 implementation plan does outline how time staffing and resources

194are organized during the school day in the new delivery model. Are you approving the delivery model with this vote? The resolution, this new resolution contradicts other resolutions. Tomorrow, you're being asked to approve a resolution that authorizes the permanent closing of nine school buildings and the implementation plan presented to the board on 10:30. This does not follow the resolution you passed in June, directing you to vote on two plans, a reconfiguration plan and an implementation plan. The reconfiguration plan is meant to include everything that must be submitted to the state for approval. According to the PTE website, it should include the current and proposed configuration along with a board statement or schoolboard minutes plainly and clearly clearly supporting the decision. It appears the assumption is that the 1030 plan contains all the details required for submission

195to the state. It does not. There are two magnet schools and one >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Kathleen Mclotty, Kathleen Melotti. Our next speaker is Sedria McCoy. Sedria McCoy. Our next speaker, Nathan Mason. Nathan Mason. Our next speaker, Ian Kaine. Hello, my name is Ian Kaine, PPS parent, including a fifth grade Wildcat. Final stretch of this public hearing, thankfully, uh, of some of your terms of this leg of the journey towards change. I want to thank everyone for tonight, especially to the speakers showing up overwhelmingly to oppose this plan. Change in PPS is inevitable. I I don't think anyone who has spoken tonight believes otherwise. Uh Jude, one of our PPS kiddos, said earlier tonight on behalf of those opposed that we talk and you might listen. I have heard

196over the course of many months parents, kids, stakeholders, elders, educators, etc. uh provide this board and administration clear data and ask difficult questions. Some of those questions have been asked for a double-digit number of months without a cohesive answer. It's also clear that the community here tonight is united in its message that this plan cannot pass as it exists. As many have said, keep going. Keep working. Thank you. And you can do better. We need you to do better. Not because we're angry. Not mostly because we're angry. Uh but because we need you. We need each other. We want the district to succeed. We want the board to succeed. And we have been clear tonight. Vote no. Uh to the board. If you as a board member vote yes, especially after tonight and the testimony

197given here, it will be unclear to me who it is you support other than your own ego. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Lauren Stuperitz. >> Hi, good evening. Um, my name's Lauren and I come from um being a parent and a community member. Um, I'm also a parent co-chair in a couple of parts of the school district, the LIC for early intervention in the early childhood, and I also do policy council there um as well as the local task force um for students with IEPs, special needs, disabilities. Um, so I live in the West End. I have two kids who are in early childhood and one in kindergarten. Um over here we have Langley, we have Westwood Elementary, and I don't understand what is happening to the uh

198middle school that's going to be created here. Um it's just a confusing plan. Um and I kind of feel like we're being left out as the West End often is. Um, there are people moving in. There are families who live here. A lot of people might be um multilingual families or English learning students. Um, but that doesn't mean we're not here and that we don't need support as well as of course the kids with um disabilities and special needs. So um my son is in a regular general education classroom but he gets include um inclusive in that classroom and supports coming in. And as the other um person who spoke about the IEPs, every single kid who is going to be moved or has a new program or a new location needs a special IEP

199for this. There's no way it can happen with this plan. So, I'm echoing all of the other people um who have said to vote no, not for changes, adjustments, shifts, but we need to learn from what's working and ideas like has anybody talked to the families at Langley about what they like about their community school or what they don't, what's tough about being over there. What ideas do they have? Like, engage us on the grassroots. And I am appalled that the education equity advocates panel with Miss Wanda Henderson was never even uh like notified or included in any part of building this plan. That doesn't even make any sense because legally isn't that what the memorandum of understanding says that you have to do. So obviously there's some big pieces missing. Um, I know it's

200a lot of work and it's not easy to do something at this scale, but take it step by step. Work with the community culture. There is a culture in Pittsburgh. There is community, neighborhood, and school culture. Talk about building up culture and having a positive school climate. You have to do the work. There's no easy way. So, let's not just push this through. Um, just to push it through and try to keep going. >> Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Evelyn Ulysi. >> You listen me? >> You can listen. >> Yes. Oh, good evening PPS board. My name is Evelyn Willis, PPS parent to Wasler student and second grade. Today I raise my voice to share the history the from the strongly to strength of parenting history with children's in the PPS

201school clause list for more than eight months we have to survivor to the high level of stress and anxiety because of the possible decision to close to someone a school in PPS the current situation doesn't allow us to plan in any time with our children's for the next school year 2026 to 2027. We can management the budget for transportation by food or after school activity. This holy situation is for safe money. It's a crazy situation for PPS board and PPS family. But I can't imagine how how much money we have to spend in the future for try to find the solution of the consequence to the negative impact in our children's mental health. Maybe in three years we have childrens with high level aniated stress in the school behavior don't pay attention to the class

202of problem to attendant to the school. My question is will PPS be prepared to support our family in the future? Please vote no. Thank you for listen and happy Thanksgiving for everyone. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Monica Thomas, Monica Thomas. Our next speaker is William Fulmer. William. >> Hey. So, um, my vote is or my ask is that you vote no on this. There's nothing in this process has reassured me that PPS is making decisions with students at the center. The district still plans to close Spring Hill and other north side schools years before even a feeder school is even being is even renovated. There's no groundbreaking. There's no guaranteed timeline. They're only working off assumptions on successful outcomes and this will only save us a small pittance each year in

203our overall budget. This level of disruption puts students at real risk. And we have seen this in other cities. When neighborhood schools close abruptly, dropouts rate rates rise. This is not speculation, but this is documented. And we know the foundation that put this plan together. This is ERS's work. Now, even if they're still no longer formally in the driver's seat of this plan, the [clears throat] biggest change isn't the plan itself. is that the timeline it's moving faster, not slower. Accelerating a plan that's that is already disruptive only increases the risk for our students and our communities. This matters because nationally similar ERS style plans show that strong show a strong correlation in increased charter enrollment and cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Kansas City. Once closures began, private charter operators filled that vacuum with

204public money, public dollars flowing to them, enriching these private interests rather than serving our community. I'm not claiming that the ERS style plan directly causes this, but the pattern is consistent. Disruption impact public schools creates openings for private operators to step in, often with weaker oversight, poorer outcomes for the very students PPS says it wants to protect. Speeding up imple implementation only magnifies the likelihood of further disruption. I believe in public education. I believe in neighborhood schools. This plan does not protect either. It puts students at risk. It weakens our communities and it creates the perfect conditions for continued loss of public control over our public education. Please vote no. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Our next speaker is Amy Williams. Amy Williams. Our next speaker, Rebecca McClean. Good evening. You're almost done.

205I'm one of many people tonight who've had major concerns with the future ready plan as it currently stands. I say this not just as a parent of PPS students, but also as a federal employee who was at home without pay for six weeks this fall, received a layoff notice that thankfully was rescended by Congress and have lived through almost a year of intentional instability in my workplace with no end in sight. I've been through shutdowns before, but this one felt different this time. In addition to not knowing how long the food in the freezer would need to last or how much I needed to explain to my kids about why I was home all the time, I felt rocked by the instability my previously very stable job had inflicted upon my family. And I watched

206my kids at home, 17 and 12, listen to the news, ask questions, and wonder what we needed to do differently until Congress and the president got their act together. I saw how the temporary instability brought concerns, worries, and shortened tempers to otherwise happy and welladjusted kids. I also saw my community rally with food drop offs, quiet Venmo gifts, offers to listen to me complain over coffee, and support and care that I desperately needed. This reminds me what real instability in schools will look like. Schools the heart of so many children's lives and for many students in our district the only place and people that offer that stability. In contrast, the future ready plan has been led by the need to dump buildings and to move quickly just because you can without really considering the short

207and long-term impacts it will have on students even if they are resilient. It will have the effect intended or otherwise of ripping apart existing school communities and causing significant disruptions in children's lives. It also reminded me how community is so necessary to weather upheaval. In her book Root Shock, Dr. Millie Mindy Thompson Fuller Love researched the profound traumatic stress, the root shock that resulted when black neighborhoods were demolished during urban renewal. It ruined their economic health, social cohesion, and stripped displaced residents of their sense of place. The Hill District featured in the book still struggles today 60 years later. Pittsburgh is one of many cities where, regardless of good intentions, black communities suffered because plans were not fully thought through and not bought into by the community. Top-down plans without meaningful community engagement do not

208work. Prior school closures did not solve issues brought on by segregation, displacement, or distrust in the system. This amount of community outreach the district performed doesn't matter if it didn't actually give people a chance to provide real input and feel like they were part of the process. Making major changes to neighborhood institutions without meeting the neighbors where they are, just add to the instability many neighborhoods have been dealing with for decades. Community buyin will help give students a soft place to land. We all agreed tonight that something needs to change. But closing schools that work for all students, making massive changes over one summer, and disrupting 6,000 families lives not the way to build community trust and maintain lasting relationships. Vote no tomorrow. Expect more out of a superintendent who is one of the highest

209paid public servants in the region. And consider who you really serve, the children in the district, the taxpayers of the city, and all future generations. Thank you. >> Thank you for your testimony. At this time, I will call the names of the speakers who were not present. Muhammad Maya Muhamad Maya and Ferris Roseanne Lavine, Joshua Yelery, Joshua Yelerie, Beth Sundelle. Kathleen Melotti, Sedria McCoy, Monica Thomas, and Amy Williams. Amy Williams. I'll turn the meeting back over to President Jane Walker. Thank you, Miss Gandandy and Miss McBride for uh facilitating tonight's meeting. Uh thank you to all of our speakers, both in person and virtual, uh who came out, uh to share your thoughts with us tonight. Uh just a reminder, uh because of the Thanksgiving holiday, our legislative session is tomorrow evening, uh starting at

210how do we start? 6:30 p.m. Uh and we look forward to seeing you all then. If you are out and about, please be safe getting home. This meeting is adjourned.