Can collaboration arise from an idea that was in its infancy met with hostility and disputes over “turf”? We will find out in the days, weeks, months, and years to come as the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s task force report on collaboration with the Pittsburgh Public Schools was made public today (it has a publication date of February 10th). No word yet on how the tiny borough of Mt. Oliver has reacted to the report, being that it too is part of the Pittsburgh Public School District but is not mentioned as being an ingredient in the mix of getting municipal and school district folks to work together.
Recall that in 2013 the City Council asked for a moratorium on school closures, and the district superintendent and a member of the school board reacted strongly with the latter feeling that the Council was overstepping its bounds and disrespecting the school board.
The current Mayor (who was on Council in 2013) appointed a task force in February of last year and the focus moved from school closings to better City-District collaboration but last fall the feeling was that there was a lack of focus: the facilitator for the group was dismissed and the two city officials leading the group are no longer with the City (here and here).
But now there is an actual product in terms of a report. What does it recommend? Public safety coordination between the City police and District security (including amending the mission statements of both to reflect cooperation, safe routes to school coordination), after school activity coordination, and identifying the concept of a community school. The final two recommendations of the task force are on fair funding–the task force notes that “Pennsylvania contributes less than 39% of the funds required to operate schools across the state”–and wants this rectified, but fails to note that in 2015 the state is providing $245.1 million of the District’s $556.7 million total funding (44%, which means the District is above average, and, as we pointed out recently, the District gets alot of state funding based on its aid ratios) and marketing efforts, which is not too surprising other than the fact that the task force actually wants to emphasize the charter schools that are in the City (there are ten that have been chartered by the District according to the PA Department of Education) as part of the “fabric of public education” in the City.
