Pam Harbin

I am proud to receive the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council’s endorsement. As the local body of the AFL-CIO, they have fought hard and won for workers in our community. They use their voices to speak up and get results for all working people, their families, and students. 1/2

We're proud to endorse @gaineyformayor.com for re-election.

Mayor Gainey has taking on big fights to protect the people of Pittsburgh against corporate developers & Donald Trump.

In his next term, Gainey will continue making Pittsburgh a safe and affordable home for everyone.

Many developers here ARE greedy. They take money from our children & schools while working to block affordable housing that creates a pathway for families with children to live across the city. Wanting to have more equity at the expense of others is the definition of greedy.

14WIDC asked a question that should have been out of bounds. It is a poor reflection on the club and its members. I believe they owe Mayor Gainey a public apology.

We WON!! Over 130 of us who care deeply about Pittsburgh Public Schools showed up Monday to speak at the public hearing as a final stand against the reckless school closure “plan.” Over a year of organizing, protesting, letter writing and speaking up has finally been heard!!

Candidates for 5 PPS board spots will face the weight — and legacy — of looming school closures Of the five seats up for election this year, three board members — Sala Udin, Sylvia Wilson and Jamie Piotrowski — told WESA they have opted not to run again.

It’s ON!!
Pittsburgh School Board race is kicking off this week. W/ PPS facing school closures & the Department of Ed. under attack, this is an election to WATCH!
WHAT ISSUES DO YOU CARE ABOUT MOST?

Candidates Names in comments
Stay tuned for our candidate forum!!

www.wesa.fm/education/20...

Protect the U.S. Department of Education: Stop Trump's War on Children The elimination of the U.S. Department of Education would turn back the clock on student rights and protections and bring those who wish to destroy neighborhood public schools one step closer to their...

Wow! 11 K emails to Congress. Add YOUR voice. Please share not just like. actionnetwork.org/letters/prot...

The Student Outcomes Focused Governance policy proposal strips parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and community members from having a say in their public schools and paves the way for more public school closures. We urge the Board to vote NO.

Read more: bit.ly/vote-no-sofg

@412justice.org

Pittsburgh School Board authorized #SOFG and has been implementing it behind closed doors for a year 😡

Pennsylvania: 8 schools received over $10 million from NIH in 2024 for a total of about $1.7 billion. Of that, $1.1 billion went directly to research and $661 million to facilities and administration. The new rate would bring that to $165 million, a loss of $496 million.

Basic Education and Special Education Funding Investments are Inadequate to Keep Pace with Inflation and the Cyber Charter Tuition Reimbursement is Eliminated
#FundPublicSchools

Beware: Anti-democratic programs like Council of Great City Schools Student Outcomes Focused Governance have elected school boards giving away their power to superintendents. People who elect their representative to protect DEI will learn this is not "board work." #SOFG

Pittsburgh Public Schools 👀

"Anti-democracy efforts by the Council of Great City Schools through Student Outcomes Focused Governance (SOFG) including sweeping PPS Policy changes the Board hopes to enact this month."

Superintendent school closure & consolidation presentation in mid-February? When?

picture of report covers

ICYMI: Top NEPC Newsletters of 2024 ... The Civil War, school choice, and school finance were among the topics of the most popular NEPC newsletters of 2024.

nepc.colorado.edu/publication/...

"Paulette Foster of 412 Justice said the district should provide that data and prove why the B.O.O.S.T. program is no longer viable.

Community members called out the budget’s lack of transparency."
@412justice.org

Enrollment increase in Pittsburgh Public Schools too. Yet both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are using 'enrollment decline' as a reason for massive school closures.

Closing schools is lazy and unnecessary. Invest in our public schools -fix systemic issues- and enrollment will continue to increase.

🎶Charter schools rob $146 million a year from Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Don’t just close and cut!
🎶 Maintain programs like BOOST & Community Schools
🎶 Invest in staff & resources

Last night we showed up at the Pittsburgh public school board hearing on the 2025 PPS budget

Well here we are.
And here is our 2024-25 Back-to-School Guide, a comprehensive guide to rights-based information for public school students/families.
Just a reminder that the rights described are still in place. The laws & regulations they are based on are unchanged.
www.elc-pa.org/2024-back-to...

Almost a third of preteens, teens with long COVID still not recovered at 2 years, study shows

Those who reported COVID reinfections during the study period had the most symptoms through 24 months.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...

The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems The U.S. Department of Education has projected enrollment declines over the next decade, leading to budget cuts for school districts, which will be particularly impactful in urban and rural areas serv...

🚨Important NEW report from @nepc.bsky.social re: the fiscal impacts of vouchers/charters on public schools.

Check it out: nepc.colorado.edu/publication/...

"Policymakers must ensure equitable funding for public schools and hold charter and private schools to the same standards as public ones."

Least Restrictive Environment Definition for IEP Teams Defining Least Restrictive Environment for students receiving special education services and how IEP Teams ensure free and appropriate public education (FAPE.)

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) ensures students with disabilities learn alongside their peers to the greatest extent possible. This blog offers practical tips for IEP teams to make thoughtful, inclusive decisions. 🌟

#IEP #SpecialEducation #AllMeansAll #InclusiveEd

bit.ly/4hGsLOv

Pittsburgh Public Schools announces no school closures for 2025-2026 school year After months of planning, analysis and public feedback, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced late Friday that no school closures will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Good work! We won in Pittsburgh Public Schools too.

"Pittsburgh Public Schools announced this evening they won’t recommend closing any schools for the 2025-26 school year."

www.wesa.fm/education/20...

@412justice.org

Three children (racially: black & white) hold signs at the Pennsylvania Capitol to defend real public schools. 1st sign says “ stop pretending vouchers help PA kids” 2nd sign says “ our kids can’t wait” They are all wearing 412justice T-shirts.

Four teenagers hold signs at the Pennsylvania capital to defend public school funding in the state. The signs are all oversized black hearts with white text. One of the hearts is cut in half jaggedly to illustrate the broken hearts of Pennsylvania children. That sign reads “ underfunded schools hurt kids” One of the smaller signs reads “ tax, the rich” The smallest broken heart sign reads “ cut to college prep”

An elementary school age child from Pittsburgh Public schools, Speaks at the School Board public hearing. The image shows him at the microphone during the meeting. He is speaking to defend his school from being closed.

The image shows a crowd of protesters demonstrating at the U.S. Steel Building in downtown Pittsburgh. During he MetCoke World Summit, an annual gathering for polluters and profiteers in the coke, coal and steel industries. Many signs are being held. The crowd represents residence from highly impacted areas near US steel manufacturing sites, resident from East Palestine, Ohio, who survived the catastrophic toxic train derailment, and other environmental justice activists. The speaker at the microphone is a resident of Clariton Pennsylvania testifying about breathing issues and pollution in her town. She is a beautiful Black woman holding a serious gaze as she tells her story. A large banner with the 412 Justice logo is on the left. The largest sign on the right read. “environmental justice = racial justice” Some other signs include: “ we bleed for your greed” with a list of all the companies polluting for profit in these industries. —“Will your grandkids forgive you?” “Stop hurting us,” “Asthma is not generational,” and “Cancer is not normal”

This is who we are.
Education, Environmental & Economic JUSTICE. Black Woman Lead. Pittsburgh proud. We don’t backdown.

In Pittsburgh most charter school applications are denied by the local elected school board.

So…
They head over to the PA Charter Appeal Board (w/ no elected seats) in Harrisburg.

W/ a near 100% approval rate, they reverse local decisions & a new charter school is born.

(2019: we found them)

Pittsburgh Public Schools announces no school closures for 2025-2026 school year After months of planning, analysis and public feedback, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced late Friday that no school closures will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Pittsburgh Public Schools announced this evening they won’t recommend closing any schools for the 2025-26 school year.

The announcement comes despite consultant recommendations to begin shuttering and reconfiguring several schools beginning next school year. www.wesa.fm/education/20...

PPS struggles to find staff for growing ELL student body Pittsburgh Public Schools has had an influx of English Language Learner students. The district faces a shortage of English Language Development staff.

This year Pittsburgh Public Schools has 1,800 students who are learning English - around 10% of the student body - in part due to refugee resettlement. PPS is striving to hire the specialized teachers they need, @publicsourcepa.bsky.social reports www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-p...

What would it mean if President-elect Trump dismantled the US Department of Education? Donald Trump stated during his comeback campaign that he’d dismantle the Education Department if elected. Will Linda McMahon, his nominee for secretary of education, lead the way?

What would it mean if President-elect Trump dismantled the US Department of Education?

theconversation.com/what-would-i...

Trump says McMahon’s top priority will be pushing school vouchers