Issue Summary (Updated January 2011)
Pittsburgh Public Schools
The Issue:

The Pittsburgh Public School system is too expensive, continues to suffer from declining enrollment despite the creation of the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program, and academic performance is not commensurate with expenditures.   

What We Know:

The District's budget is $540 million for 2011, up from $497 million five years ago.  At the same time, enrollment has fallen to just over 25k from 29k in 2006, pushing the per-pupil expenditure from $16,886 to $20,843.  The spending push comes at a time when several Federal and state sources of revenue are tightening and the City of Pittsburgh faces its own set of problems, which does not paint a pretty picture for taxpayers.

And this comes during the time the District, the City, and the foundation community created and pushed the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program, which was to make the District attractive to middle-class families who care about education.  The District also exhibits the troublesome trend where its employment of non-teaching professionals, especially those involved in administration, is growing at a rapid rate.   

Recommendations:

What's to be done?  Surely a devotion to cost-cutting and a clear explanation of the benefits derived from the non-teaching personnel would be welcome.  But it is not to be expected.  Instead expect a trip to Harrisburg to appeal for more money for the District.