PITTSBURGH — The Conroy Education Center, located in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood, is the only dedicated special education facility within Pittsburgh Public Schools. However, school board members are set to vote next week on a plan that could lead to the closure of this building, along with more than a dozen others.
“For being his voice for so long, in that moment, I felt like our voice was taken away,” Jessica Kwasniewski, a parent of a student at Conroy said.
Her son, Liam,13, has been attending Conroy since he was five. Kwasniewski and other parents attribute their children’s success to the school’s vocational training, community resources, and behavioral support.
Kwasniewski told Channel 11 that she felt blindsided when Conroy was included on the list of potential closures.
“Our kids have access to related services; they can utilize the field and playground. There are wide hallways for sensory time and classrooms with bathrooms for students to manage their hygiene needs,” she said.
A recent feasibility study indicated that due to declining enrollment, underutilization, and aging infrastructure, Pittsburgh Public Schools must significantly reduce its network of 54 schools.
Schools identified for closure include Arsenal PreK-5, Fulton PreK-5, Linden PreK-5, Miller PreK-5, Spring Hill K-5, Woolslair PreK-5, King PreK-8, Allegheny 6-8, Manchester PreK-8, Schiller 6-8, and Milliones 6-12. Additionally, the district has proposed closing South Brook 6-8, which could be repurposed for the Conroy special education program; South Hills 6-8 for alternative programs; and Roosevelt K-5 for alternative programs and administrative offices.
Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters has stated that these changes are necessary. Currently, Pittsburgh Public Schools has the capacity for 40,000 students but only serves about 18,000.
“We have an equity issue in our district. We have high-performing schools with tremendous resources and others that do not. In a district of our size, we cannot sustain a situation where some schools have much more than others,” Walters said.
The final decision rests with the school board. If they approve the recommendations, a three-month public hearing process will follow. Under the proposed plan, students currently attending Conroy would be transported to South Brook in Brookline.
The district believes that after remodeling, the South Brook 6-8 building will meet the needs of Conroy students and could be less expensive to maintain than Conroy itself.
“We need to evaluate the costs of managing the oldest building in our district [Conroy]. It’s a historic structure that presents various challenges and expenses, so these decisions were not made lightly,” Walters said.
However, a final construction plan for South Brook will not be available until after the school board’s vote.
“We keep being told that we are resistant to change. It’s not that I’m resistant to change; I am resistant to losing accommodations for my child,” Kwasniewski said.
The school board is scheduled to vote next Wednesday during their legislative session at 6:30 p.m.
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