City of Pittsburgh - File #: 2008-0533

• File #: 2008-0533
• Version: 1
• Type: Proclamation
• Status: Defeated
• File created: 6/18/2008
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 6/17/2008
• Title: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that in the spirit of cooperation, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh requests that the School Board delay a final vote on the closing of Schenley High so that all interested stakeholders of the District have an opportunity to request and receive pertinent data and reports surrounding this controversial school closing, and so that residents, as well as other elected officials and community leaders, can come together to explore any and all alternatives to the current plan to close Schenley High School forever.
• Sponsors: Darlene M. Harris, Tonya D. Payne
• Indexes: PROCLAMATION - MRS. HARRIS

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
6/17/2008	1	City Council	Adopted	Fail

Body
WHEREAS, the number one goal of the Pittsburgh Board of Education is to provide academic instruction to help youth succeed in life, and the price tag of providing quality education includes many tangible costs, including salaries, programming and training, transportation, as well as major facility and maintenance expenditures; and

WHEREAS, not unlike the City of Pittsburgh, the School Board's enrollment base has decreased while debt has skyrocketed, forcing current administrative and elected officials to engage in facility consolidation, school closings and alternative programming and new building construction; and

WHEREAS, as part of the ongoing consolidations, less than a year ago the School District announced plans to close the Schenley High School due to asbestos and maintenance problems which could cost the District a reported $40 to $70 million dollars, and this announcement has resulted in an outpour of concern from former and current students, as well as parents and taxpayers of the City and District; and

WHEREAS, many believe Schenley High School is a crown jewel of the Pittsburgh School District, and the natural integration of students to the Oakland environment, which includes a melting pot of people, as well as educational and cultural amenities in a prime location, are irreplaceable, intangible qualities that make this diversely populated student base succeed; and,

WHEREAS, the Pittsburgh City Council acknowledges that it is the School District's role to make decisions affecting the education of our children, but the Council also recognizes that both elected bodies share the same common goals and challenges, and recognize that there is a time and a place for all good things, and all stakeholders, to come together for the good of its people; and

WHEREAS, because today's political environment fosters a higher standard of transparency and information sharing, there is an expectation and a right of taxpayers to request and receive ...