Wilkinsburg schools to take out $3M loan (Pittsburgh, Harrisburg: house, neighborhood)

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Where ever Wilkinsburg goes, it will not be a good effect to the neighboring schools.

The obvious solution to that issue to spread the load and make things more equal with a single county-wide district. The resources are simply too varied by existing districts.

[sealie]

Originally Posted by squarian

Perhaps the real estate market in Forest Hills, or any other part of Woodland Hills SD, is artificially retarded - I don't know.

But the proposition that the 1981 merger (ssshh!) is responsible seems preposterous to me: surely after a third of a century the market has priced that in?

I think it probably is priced in, and I think it'd be difficult to separate the effects of the merger from the effects of other things going on in the 1980s.

Fun fact: 2010 census data predicts that there are some 1000-ish high school aged individuals in Wilkinsburg. I think one of the recent parent-shaming quotes claim that they've lost some 300 to charter schools and cyber schools. So that's still some 500 unaccounted for, either dropped out, or going to Catholic school, or telling stories to government officials about where they actually live, or an estimation error. None of which negates anything you're saying, of course.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

The obvious solution to that issue to spread the load and make things more equal with a single county-wide district. The resources are simply too varied by existing districts.

No thanks for obvious reasons. Bigger isn't always better. If they want to do that, I want the option to not pay school taxes while my child is in private school. Also some big county wide machine running things will no doubt end up corrupt and sucking money into some pockets somehow. I like the little districts with more control.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I like the little districts with more control.

You mean where poor people can't afford the houses.

[squarian]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

You mean where poor people can't afford the houses.

Hey - you're not supposed to know that code!

Get me security.

[ML North]

Why is the anti-merger argument never turned upside down? It's always framed as "merging District X into District Y will negatively impact District Y" when in fact, although it may lower average standardized test scores for District Y, the merger may have a significantly positive impact for the kids of District X. And especially for people without any children on either side of the argument, one has to question the motives for prioritizing the kids of District Y over those of District X.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

You mean where poor people can't afford the houses.

Let me clue you in on something. Sharpsburg is one of the poorest districts in the county and they can go to FC Schools just like the kids that live on Squaw Run East. You can live in the FC district and own your own home for under $50K. Heck, it is hard to do that in much of the city. There is no code, or anything like you dream up. Heck there are homes in O'Hara that are under $70K pretty often! Yep, FC School. You certainly don't have to be rich to go to the school district. I would say you need to be more wealthy to go to NA, USC, Mt. Lebo and several others because they don't have an area in their districts for the folks living in poverty to live.

Anyway, I think the city of Pittsburgh should suck up Wilkinsburg and maybe try and turn the place around. The location isn't bad and the potential is there. I used to feel Wilkinsburg was going to be a grass roots rebuild, but what kills that place is the school district and taxes. You can't have great growth with that situation.

[eschaton]

Regarding Duquense school district, there is only one option: West Mifflin. There is no bridge connecting it with East Allegheny across the river, and it wouldn't make much sense to merge it with McKeesport Area either. Given West Mifflin isn't that great of a district either, I think it's hard to argue allowing the K-8 students at Duquense to go there would make it appreciably worse.

I've argued for awhile that if Wilkinsburg went into PPS, the logical breakdown would be along the busway, with the portions west going to Allderdice, and east going to Westinghouse. An Allderdice feeder would really help already redeveloping segments of Wilkensburg fully take on the "East End" vibe, and help Wilkinsburg's general finances quite a good deal (much lower taxes would help too of course). And while Westinghouse isn't a good school, it's no worse than Wilkinsburg, and at least doesn't have dire financial troubles facing it every single year. Plus the magnet system would be an option for all of Wilkinsburg as well. Seems like a win-win to me.

Edit: Regarding Woodland Hills, my impression is the school district has only gotten really rough within the last decade - that the district pretty much worked as it was intended by court order through the 1990s at least. I know people who had their kids go through it during that period anyway, and they had no major complaints.

[gg]

Originally Posted by ML North

Why is the anti-merger argument never turned upside down? It's always framed as "merging District X into District Y will negatively impact District Y" when in fact, although it may lower average standardized test scores for District Y, the merger may have a significantly positive impact for the kids of District X. And especially for people without any children on either side of the argument, one has to question the motives for prioritizing the kids of District Y over those of District X.

You can't due to the majority of one district being a minority. That would come off as being prejudicial. Imagine if Edgewood said, hey we are done with this crap and we are going back to the way it was. The outcome would be Edgewood homes would skyrocket overnight and on the flip side... well I will leave that vision up to those that want to imagine it.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

You can't due to the majority of one district being a minority. That would come off as being prejudicial. Imagine if Edgewood said, hey we are done with this crap and we are going back to the way it was. The outcome would be Edgewood homes would skyrocket overnight and on the flip side... well I will leave that vision up to those that want to imagine it.

I think you entirely missed the point of my post.