Debate continues over city's role in Pittsburgh's 'educational emergency'

The leaders of Pittsburgh’s city government and public school system agree there is a crisis in education because of the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism.

What should be done about it — and by whom — remains a matter of contention.

City Councilman Ricky Burgess first brought up declaring a “state of educational emergency” in the city on Jan. 27.

Burgess’ remarks sparked a response from Pittsburgh Public Schools board leaders, who agreed there is an emergency. However, board members said they were already taking measures to address the problems.

The school board and city council are separate entities with no oversight of each other.

Burgess is calling for a series of public meetings involving school and city leaders, parents and others.

During a council committee meeting Wednesday, council delayed a vote on declaring the emergency and instead agreed to schedule meetings.

Some of Burgess’ colleagues on council and school district officials questioned Burgess’ tactics when he first brought up the issue at an otherwise routine council meeting.

School board member Kevin Carter accused Burgess of grandstanding.

Burgess said he believes in the “open exchange of opinions and ideas” and it is why he brought up the issue two weeks ago. Last week, he and Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle introduced legislation formally declaring the emergency.

It got further attention from school board members. In a public response to city council, the board said if the city was serious in its concern for improving education, it would end the longstanding practice of collecting a larger share of wage taxes — about $20 million each year — that could be put to use in the schools.

In 2005, when the city neared bankruptcy, the formula about how to divvy up the 3% wage tax residents pay was changed.

Originally, 2% went to the schools and 1% to the city. To address the city’s financial issues, the formula was changed to 1.75% for the schools and 1.25% for the city. It hasn’t been changed back, although the city’s financial position has improved.

Otherwise, school district officials said they agree there is an emergency and said they’ve been hard at work addressing it.

“A collaborative approach is welcomed. How do we make changes that right the wrongs from the past and drive us into innovation and modernization and a vision for a future,” the board wrote in the statement. “We have a plan … we do not have a magic wand.”

During Wednesday’s council meeting, Burgess and Lavelle explained how they arrived at the decision to introduce the legislation after talking with people involved in the school system and reviewing data that shows students are being ill-served by virtual learning.

But other council members disagreed and said the school district should have been involved before the matter was brought up at a public meeting.

“I worry about the way this was presented,” Councilman Bruce Kraus said. It “made people retreat to their camps and begin in a defensive way.”

Council agreed to delay a vote on the legislation until public and private meetings can be held with school district, charter school and nonprofit leaders to define the scope of the problem and devise a means to address it.

“We stand ready to build relationships that ultimately serve the best interests of our students,” Kraus said.

Other council members agreed and said the city needs to be willing to step up to provide support that may require spending money.

“Let’s follow through and do some things,” Councilman Corey O’Connor said.

A solution could involve offering up city recreational centers and paying to keep them staffed for extended hours to help students, O’Connor said.

What he doesn’t want is the city to form another task force or committee to write a report on the problem without results.

“We all have to own this, because our city is worse if we do not,” Lavelle said.