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On Halloween, Mark Roosevelt, Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, announced that he's attempting again to close Schenley High School and move its students out of Oakland into existing Middle School buildings in East Liberty and the Hill District
 
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11-01-07 Roosevelt: Close Schenley, open four schools

 
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:04 am    Post subject: 11-01-07 Roosevelt: Close Schenley, open four schools Reply with quote



Roosevelt: Close Schenley, open four schools

By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 1, 2007

Pittsburgh's venerable Schenley High School, 91 years old and showing its age, would close in June under a reorganization plan detailed Wednesday by Superintendent Mark Roosevelt.

Schenley was saved two years ago by community activists, but Roosevelt said yesterday that the cost of renovating the Oakland school -- with its asbestos and deteriorating infrastructure -- is estimated at $64.3 million, which the financially troubled district cannot afford.

"We fully realize what a valuable building it is," Roosevelt said. "It is a building that we would love to save, but at what cost?"

Roosevelt's proposal devastated Chelsea Dolphin, a 16-year-old junior from Garfield, who has been looking forward to graduating from Schenley next year.

"I feel horrible," she said. "This is the perfect spot. It's in the center of everything."

The closing of Schenley, home of the state's reigning Quad A men's basketball champs, and Vann K-8 in the Hill District are part of the school reform plan Roosevelt announced yesterday. The plan also calls for:

� Creating four grade 6-12 schools at Frick in Oakland, the closed Milliones facility in the Hill District, Pittsburgh School for the Creative and Performing Arts, Downtown, and the closed Reizenstein School in East Liberty.

� Moving Rogers School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Garfield to Pittsburgh CAPA, Downtown, rather than to the closed Milliones School in the Hill District.

� Starting a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education at Milliones.

� Delaying plans to open a science and technology grade 6-12 school at Frick until 2009. The school was slated to open next year.

If approved by the school board, Schenley students enrolled in its International Baccalaureate, International Studies and English as a Second Language programs would move to Reizenstein. Students in Schenley's robotics program would be transferred to Peabody High School in East Liberty, and the remaining students would go to Milliones.

Vann students would go either to Weil PreK-8 and Miller PreK-8, both in the Hill District, or to Milliones.

Renovating Schenley, Miller, Reizenstein and Milliones would cost the school district $94.8 million, Roosevelt said. Closing Schenley and creating the four 6-12 schools would cost $49.3 million, he said, a $45.5 million savings over the plan to keep Schenley.

Roosevelt said selling the Schenley building would be an option, though he has not talked to any prospective buyers. Schenley is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Already, opposition has surfaced. Jet Lafean, 56, lives in Schenley Farms across from the school and is a member of Save Schenley, the group that succeeded in getting the original proposal to close the school postponed last year.

A former industrial engineer at Westinghouse, he questions the district's estimate of renovation costs.

"They're using the worst case scenarios, not realistic scenarios," he said.

School board member Daniel Romaniello Sr. said of Schenley, "It's a building, and buildings do have problems as they age. There comes a time when you have to think with your head and not with your heart."

The district will conduct public hearings at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 and 6 p.m. Nov. 27 in the Administration Building in Oakland. The board is scheduled to vote Feb. 27.

Bill Zlatos can be reached at [email protected] or 412-320-7828.
Images and text copyright � 2007 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
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