Pittsburgh Public Schools board members on Wednesday rejected the applications of two new charter schools.
The board unanimously voted to deny the proposals of Catalyst Academy, a kindergarten through eighth grade school in East Liberty, and Career Tech Charter High School.
Board members expressed concerns about the schools’ proposed disciplinary policies and curricula, arguing that schools within the Pittsburgh district are tasked with meeting the needs of all students, not just a few.
“Anyone who wants to open up a school, first think about how you can come in and help all of the children, not just the parents who have the wherewithal to make the choice,” said board president Regina Holley.
Career Tech Charter High School proposes to use the “whole person” model of education, focusing not just on academic instruction, but also facets such as financial literacy, civic engagement, physical and mental health and personal and professional relationships. The school’s founders proposed that in addition to their high school diploma, students would graduate with a post-secondary certificate or a associate degree, preparing them either for the workforce or further education.
Catalyst Academy aims to focus on "rigorous college preparatory academics," including daily science and engineering, arts and physical education classes and "an explicit focus on social-emotional learning, 21st century skill development, and project-based learning." The school aims to enroll children in the eastern part of the city, where its founders say families “lack high-quality neighborhood schools.”
Board member Kevin Carter argued that Career Tech based a significant portion of its application on practices already done at schools within the city district, including City Charter High School.
Board member Moira Kaleida argued that Catalyst Academy’s “no excuse” disciplinary policy was inappropriate for its youngest students and could disproportionately impact children of color. She also protested the school’s lack of specific plans to accommodate special education children.
“We have schools in our district right now that handle these same children and they do a fantastic job,” she said.
Maureen Anderson, co-founder of Career Tech, said the board’s decision was not unexpected.
“It’s just part of the process,” she said.
Brian Smith, founder and CEO of Catalyst Academy, said in a statement that he and the school’s board members were “appalled” by the decision.
“Our detailed, innovative school plan is designed to provide a high-quality school option for underserved neighborhoods of the East End who today are assigned to schools where only one in four children read on grade level and only one in 10 can perform math on grade level,” he said. “With their action tonight, the PPS board is showing complete disregard for families desperate for better options, are completely ignoring the objective review of our application by their own district experts and are putting politics ahead of low-income children and children of color.”
Leaders of both charter schools said they intend to appeal to the state.
Elizabeth Behrman: Lbehrman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.
First Published: February 22, 2018, 2:31 a.m.
