Five candidates discussed school closures, staffing issues and charter schools.
by Lajja Mistry, PublicSource
Three to four of the nine seats on the Pittsburgh Public Schools board will change hands next year, and candidates in the May 16 primary election for those posts gathered on Thursday for the fifth annual Pittsburgh School Board Candidate Forum organized by five local groups.
Led by 412 Justice, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Great Public Schools Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network and Casa San José, the forum provided an opportunity for the public to hear from the board candidates for PPS.
Of four seats on the ballot, only one is the subject of a contested race. District 2 incumbent Devon Taliaferro will face Ron Sofo, retired superintendent of the Freedom Area School District. Three incumbent board members — Pamela Harbin, Kevin Carter and William Gallagher, representing Districts 4,6 and 8 — are not running for another term. The candidates to replace them are Yael Silk for District 4, Emma Yourd for District 6 and Dwayne Barker for District 8.
The general election will be held this year on Nov. 7.
The board will experience significant turnover at a time when the district is facing big challenges. As the district continues to see enrollment declines, it’s facing various financial concerns. Chief among them is its reliance on federal COVID-19 relief funding; the district used the funds to stabilize its operating deficit with no concrete plan of how the district will move forward when those funds expire in 2024.
The district is also seeing a gradual reduction in the rate of increase in state funding each year along with increased charter school costs.
The board candidates faced questions about some persistent issues in the school district, ranging from charter school expenses and staffing shortages to student discipline and special education. Candidates took a united stand on most issues, outlining their goals and vision for how to create safe and welcoming schools.
Charter schools versus community schools
Some candidates agreed that while they don’t want to see charter schools expand, they also want to see if the district is providing resources that make parents want to send their kids to PPS.
Silk acknowledged that some policies surrounding charter schools are outside the purview of the school board. But she added that she would prioritize hearing from community members to make sure PPS can compete with charter schools.
Yourd, who was not opposed to charter schools, asked for more transparency and accountability from them.
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