Pittsburgh Public Schools have established a Parent Ambassadors program to help bridge the disconnect between administrators and families, especially as the district\u2019s school closure and reconfiguration plan takes shape next year.<\/p>\n
Through the program, each school has a designated parent to serve as a liaison between school officials and parents.<\/p>\n
Ambassadors are tasked with promoting participation in school activities, understanding district initiatives and helping families navigate the Future-Ready Facilities Plan \u2014 a realignment that will close nine buildings, 12 schools and realign many others beginning next school year.<\/p>\n
Mercedes Williams is the district\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a team, and if parents are not at the table, and if parents don\u2019t feel like they\u2019re a part of the team, that\u2019s where our biggest disconnect is,\u201d said Williams, who also is a district parent.<\/p>\n
Ambassadors\u2019 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\u2019t have applicants. Each parent ambassador receives a $1,000 stipend.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I wanted 50+ parents who had the same like mind to say, \u2018We 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?\u2019 \u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all going through the same thing. We might have different schools, we might have different kids, but we\u2019re all trying to do what\u2019s best for our children as it relates to our education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lloyd Cheatom is the parent ambassador at Dilworth PreK-5 in Highland Park. He\u2019s been involved at the school for years, and he thinks his family\u2019s experience makes him more relatable to other parents. Dilworth is a magnet school, but will become a neighborhood school next year \u2014 and they don\u2019t live in Dilworth\u2019s neighborhood. He plans for his daughter to be \u201cgrandfathered in\u201d and finish fifth grade at Dilworth next year, but his son, who is younger, may have to find another school.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d Cheatom said. \u201cI\u2019m going through the same thing \u2026 but that doesn\u2019t 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\u2019s education is still on the right path?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s ambassador.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s anything that arises and I don\u2019t know the answer, I\u2019ll work to get an answer,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of the parents I\u2019ve talked to are reasonable and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n