The Pittsburgh Public Schools [PPS] board tonight passed a general fund budget of $719 million – a $34 million increase from last year that reflects mounting education costs.
Total revenues stand at $687 million in the 2023-24 spending plan. To cover the gap, the district will need to draw $30 million from its fund balance, dropping it below the minimum requirement outlined in school policy.
Following weeks of hearings and committee meetings, the board said little about the budget tonight before passing it unanimously.
PPS officials have expressed concern over the growing mandatory expenditures such as charter school costs and debt-service payments, that will likely contribute to a growing operating deficit in subsequent years. Since 2020, the district has relied on the federally granted COVID-19 relief funds to cover its deficit, but with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER] funds expiring next year, the district may cut programming and close buildings.
During a public hearing two days before the budget’s passage, parents and education advocates told board members they feared possible cuts could impact student outcomes.
Lynda Wrenn, a community member, said if the district does not acknowledge the enrollment decline, it will exacerbate inequalities and the district’s ability to deliver programming equitably.
“Unfortunately, funding issues at under-enrolled schools often perpetuate disparities,” Wrenn said during the Dec. 18 hearing.
As students and families seek opportunities outside the district, payments to charter and cyber systems are claiming a growing share of the PPS budget. The district expects to pay $146 million to charter schools in 2024.
Salaries and benefits, at $339.6 million, accounted for the highest expenditures, even as overall staffing in the district has decreased. In elementary and high schools, PPS has reduced 42 full-time-equivalent employees during the 2023-24 school year.
Student enrollment likewise continues to shrink. PPS enrolled about 270 fewer students in 2023 than last year. The district is currently operating at 54% of its building capacity. Mounting overhead costs have sparked conversations about school closures.
While funds, staff and students dwindle, advocates emphasize the district’s responsibility to those that remain in the district’s 54 schools.
James Fogarty, executive director of advocacy group A+ Schools, said during the hearing that the district needs to radically rethink its current school assignments, configurations and magnet processes.
“The key thing that is within your control as a school board is the type of school offerings and opportunities that you provide students through the budget and the policies that you enact,” he said.
Lajja Mistry is the K-12 education reporter at PublicSource. She can be reached at lajja@publicsource.org.
