Pittsburgh Public Schools have established a Parent Ambassadors program to help bridge the disconnect between administrators and families, especially as the district’s school closure and reconfiguration plan takes shape next year.
Through the program, each school has a designated parent to serve as a liaison between school officials and parents.
Ambassadors are tasked with promoting participation in school activities, understanding district initiatives and helping families navigate the Future-Ready Facilities Plan — a realignment that will close nine buildings, 12 schools and realign many others beginning next school year.
Mercedes Williams is the district’s director of communications and stakeholder engagement. While many parents already volunteer in their school communities, she said, the parent ambassador program can improve how the district serves families.
“We’re a team, and if parents are not at the table, and if parents don’t feel like they’re a part of the team, that’s where our biggest disconnect is,” said Williams, who also is a district parent.
Ambassadors’ terms run for this school year, and they are required to attend certain events and trainings throughout the year. Parents either applied to become an ambassador or were recruited at schools that didn’t have applicants. Each parent ambassador receives a $1,000 stipend.
A training, held Oct. 22, gave ambassadors strategies to bridge the gap between families and school staff, especially around the implementation of the Future-Ready Facilities Plan.
District officials say the plan addresses declining enrollment, aging infrastructure and equity gaps across the district. However, it has generated large community pushback, with some parents saying the plan will increase inequities. Others say the process has lacked transparency and public input, and that logistics around its implementation remain unclear.
“That’s why I wanted 50+ parents who had the same like mind to say, ‘We know the plan is here, we know the plan comes around some difficult conversation, we know change is hard for some families, but how can we support them in what this looks like?’ ” Williams said.
“We’re all going through the same thing. We might have different schools, we might have different kids, but we’re all trying to do what’s best for our children as it relates to our education.”
Lloyd Cheatom is the parent ambassador at Dilworth PreK-5 in Highland Park. He’s been involved at the school for years, and he thinks his family’s experience makes him more relatable to other parents. Dilworth is a magnet school, but will become a neighborhood school next year — and they don’t live in Dilworth’s neighborhood. He plans for his daughter to be “grandfathered in” and finish fifth grade at Dilworth next year, but his son, who is younger, may have to find another school.
“It’s having that weight on me, knowing that I would love for them to be at the same school, but being transparent with that fact with other parents,” Cheatom said. “I’m going through the same thing … but that doesn’t mean you have to be totally bitter and upset about the process because the process is going to happen. Now that we know this is happening, how best can we go about it to make sure that your child’s education is still on the right path?”
The parent ambassador at Mifflin PreK-8 in Lincoln Place, Steven Schwab, has also been involved in school functions for years. Having the opportunity to learn and share more about the Future-Ready Facilities Plan also led to his decision to become the school’s ambassador.
A common concern Schwab hears is about transportation, but he notes the district has been able to address those issues in the past. He tries to give positive reinforcement and share the Future-Ready Facilities Plan document with families.
“If there’s anything that arises and I don’t know the answer, I’ll work to get an answer,” he said. “All of the parents I’ve talked to are reasonable and understanding.”
Williams, the district’s communications director, said the common concern she hears from parents stem from the unknowns of what next school year will look like. She said the Milestones Dashboard, posted on the district’s website, serves as a mechanism to hold district leaders accountable. The district also plans regional update meetings, beginning this week, where families can learn more about the upcoming transition.
Additionally, Williams offers techniques and guidance if an ambassador has difficulty connecting with their school’s community or principals.
“It’s important for us to shape what we want our education to look like — not flee, not leave, not complain — but to advocate, push for change and be an agent in what that change looks like, and use our voices so that we can have a better Pittsburgh Public Schools,” Williams said. “We’re not always going to agree, but we can all mutually respect each other and understand we all want what’s best for our children.”
Latae Turner, ambassador at King PreK-8 in the North Side, said her experience matches the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” She believes there has been progress in getting more King families involved in school happenings.
“I look forward to accomplishing a stronger school community, where every parent feels like their voices matter, every student feels supported and every teacher feels appreciated,” Turner said. “I want to create more opportunities for families, engagement, improve communications between school and home, and support the students’ transitions and overall wellbeing.”