Consider attending Monday’s public meeting about potential school closures

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The school board’s discussion to potentially close schools continues, and you still have the chance to make your voice heard in support of Fulton. The district is developing plans to save money, with actions including closing schools, changing feeder patterns and restructuring existing schools. Fulton was on the chopping block a few years back, sparking concern in the neighborhood that it might be up for consideration for closure now.

There are four easy things you can do to engage and make your voice heard. 

  1. Sign this petition asking the school board to extend the deadline. Also share this link with your friends and family who are in the district.
  2. Show up at the Town Hall meetings the district is holding about the Facilities Utilization Plan (see this link for details, dates and locations)
  3. Sign up to testify at the public hearing on July 22nd (Sign ups open on July 15th – find details here)
  4. And, importantly spread the word and share this information far and wide.

Fulton’s PTA is advocating for the district to pause the current process, extend the deadline, and engage in a new thorough and thoughtful process that will work toward building a truly thriving district with a supportive community.

Whether or not you have kids who attend or have attended Fulton, consider how a closure might impact you and your neighborhood. Highland Park becomes a less desirable place to live for families without a school in the heart of the neighborhood.

Plus, the specter of an empty school anywhere and especially a block away from the main business district has potential negative implications. Other empty school buildings in the city quickly fall into disrepair, where they become unsightly and attract vandalism.

Note: FULTON WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR.  No decisions have been made about which schools will be impacted for the following year. 

Petition to extend timeline for PPS Facilities Plan

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Click here to sign the petition!

PPS is developing a facilities plan that is expected to include closing schools. The public feedback portion of the plan has been fast-tracked over the summer, and residents who attended the meeting for our PPS district, told us of significant concerns about how they are estimating the cost of “required” infrastructure improvements the schools, what full capacity looks like, and how they weigh school performance – – there are specific concerns about the assumptions and data being used which appear skewed in such a way as to make a case for closing Fulton, even though it is a high performing school. Neighborhood schools are important to the community and we do not want them to close ours! 

Concerned PPS families and community members have created a petition asking the School Board to extend their timeline for the plan so that there can be more meaningful public engagement, a broader discussion of the criteria for closure, and a more rigorous look at the assumptions and data.  We encourage you to take a look at the petition and consider signing it to help ensure a better process for all our schools, students, and families. Click here to go to the petition.

For more information on the plan, including a copy of the slide show being shown at the public engagement meetings, visit the PPS Facilities Plan website, here.  There are just a couple more public, in-person meetings left (and none near here). They’ve said they’re going to schedule virtual meetings, but we’ve been unable to find information on them yet. 

PPS Facility Plan Meeting this Thursday at Obama at 6pm

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PPS is developing a facilities plan that is expected to include closing schools.  The district’s main site for the planning process has info on the public meetings on the plan, the powerpoint that’s being presented at all meetings, and the draft plan, among other documents: https://www.pghschools.org/facilitiesuplan.

They proposed closing Fulton in the past & may do so again. Neighborhood schools are important to the community and we would not want them to close any of ours! There is also talk of changing how schools are configured by grade. Attend this meeting to learn about what they’re planning & to let them know what you think is important as they finalize the Facilities Plan. Although this meeting is not with the School Board rep for our district (that meeting was last month), the meetings are open to everyone, regardless of which district they’re in.

PPS Board Member Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, July 11, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Obama Academy – 515 N Highland Ave

To visit the PPS Facilities Plan website, click here.