A school district that has been in operation continuously since 1835 has a subtle quality. Pittsburgh Public Schools did not come from a blueprint for contemporary education reform. It originated from Pennsylvania’s Free Public School Act of 1834, a politically contentious piece of legislation at the time. Over 20,000 students are served by the district in 54 schools located in Pittsburgh and the nearby borough of Mount Oliver, nearly 200 years later. Such longevity is not a coincidence. Additionally, friction is necessary for it to occur.
Steel town, rust belt casualty, and tech hub hopeful are just a few of the many incarnations of Pittsburgh that you can see when you stroll around the city today. All of that history is reflected in the school district in layers upon layers of institutional memory, demographic changes, and policy decisions that feel almost geological. Since 1911, when numerous ward schools were combined into one cohesive system, the district has been governed by the Board of Public Education. Today’s nine elected board members have inherited a huge responsibility.
A portion of the story is revealed by the numbers alone. a $668.3 million budget. more than four thousand workers. Spending per student in the 2018–19 school year was about $22,961, which is quite generous when compared to many urban districts across the country. In Pittsburgh education circles, the question of whether that money is being used effectively is one that frequently arises. Overall, the district’s niche rating is a B-minus, which is respectable but not outstanding. Teachers receive an A-minus rating, indicating that the classroom environment is more robust than the surrounding system.
The Pittsburgh Promise was one of the most ambitious initiatives ever undertaken by Pittsburgh Public Schools. The program, which was started in 2006 by Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and then-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, provided college scholarships to graduates who fulfilled the requirements. It was financed by private donations from corporations and foundations. By most accounts, it was successful. Over the course of the program, approximately $170 million was allocated to tuition, fees, and living expenses for nearly 12,000 students who attended college with Promise support. Over a ten-year period, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center alone made a $100 million commitment. It’s difficult to look at that without thinking, “This is what happens when a city actually invests in its own children.”
This is why it’s so hard to accept the September 2023 announcement. District families were notified by Executive Director Saleem Ghubril that the Class of 2028 will be the final group to be eligible for Promise scholarships. The program is winding down rather than abruptly collapsing. However, the difference may not seem like much to families who depend on it for college planning. Now, it’s really unclear what will close that gap or if anything will at all.
Over the years, the district has experimented with a number of academic interventions. Eight underperforming schools were transformed into Accelerated Learning Academies in 2006, which included longer school days and more instructional time. Around the same time, a contract with Kaplan K12 Learning Services led to the development of a districtwide curriculum. These weren’t minor choices. Since school reform rarely yields the clear before-and-after picture that administrators hope for, it’s still a little unclear whether they made a significant impact.
After holding an interim position for almost a year, Dr. Wayne Walters assumed the position of Superintendent in August 2022. In addition to the ongoing difficulties that most urban public school systems face, he entered a district with notable institutions like Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, Pittsburgh CAPA, and Pittsburgh Colfax K–8. With a ranking of 68th out of almost 500 Pennsylvania districts, diversity is one area in which the district truly excels. In a state with many racially homogeneous suburban systems, that is not insignificant.
Pittsburgh Public Schools is more than just an example of success. It’s also not a warning story. It’s more complicated than both: a sizable, aging institution attempting to serve a diverse urban population in a city still figuring out what it wants to be while dealing with actual resources and limitations. Easy praise or easy criticism is insufficient for the students who enter those doors each morning. At its best, the district appears to be striving for the honest accounting that they deserve.
