Earlier this year when we wrote about the partnership between the Wilkinsburg School District and the Pittsburgh Public Schools we speculated about what would happen with teachers at Wilkinsburg. With the District closing its middle and high schools, enrollment would be falling and teachers would not be needed there. But with students from Wilkinsburg going to Westinghouse, the enrollment there would increase and clearly more teachers would be needed, but it was not clear how many and if any Wilkinsburg teachers would be hired (the agreement between the Districts said PPS could consider hiring them, but were not required to do so).
According to a newspaper report, Wilkinsburg has given furlough notices to 20 teachers. Some of those furloughs went to elementary school teachers who are “…being bumped by a high school teacher with more seniority because that high school teacher also has elementary certification” according to the acting superintendent. Unless those employees also have a high school certification they probably would not be considered for employment with PPS. That is where the state’s $3 million in transition funding for the transfer will likely come into play.
The most recent state audit of Wilkinsburg (covering a period from 2010 through 2013) said that Wilkinsburg employed 127 teachers.
