by Tylisa C. Johnson, PublicSource
Pittsburgh Public Schools will resume classes on Sept. 3, following a unanimous vote by the nine-member school board to approve changes to the district’s 2021-2022 calendar on Wednesday evening.
The new calendar converts some typical vacation days to learning days, including election days in May and November and the day after Thanksgiving. It also adds snow days and approves Juneteenth as a holiday, among other changes.
Following testimony from hundreds of students and parents in a public hearing that stretched two days, district leaders early Wednesday — ahead of two planned board meetings — pushed to change the proposed Sept. 8 start date to Sept. 3. The board pushed back the original start date of Aug. 25, drawing intense criticism from parents and some students.
More than 900 viewers logged on to view the school board’s special legislative hearing and agenda review meetings which lasted nearly four hours Wednesday.
Board members gave impassioned remarks and questioned the superintendent and his cabinet about ongoing transportation challenges, communication with district parents and reported declines in enrollment.
Several members said they planned to support the calendar change but went on to express concern about the timing of communicating to families the depth of the district’s transportation challenges.
Board President Sylvia Wilson noted that the community members who gave testimony at the public hearing didn’t reflect the feelings of everyone in the district and that the board’s duty is to the whole district.
Superintendent Anthony Hamlet offered district parents an apology, saying the district will try to communicate sooner rather than later and may even oversaturate parents with information:
(PPS board meeting screenshot)
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