BOARD WATCH

The Board Watch program has two main goals: to educate families on who the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education is and what their role is for our city’s schools, and to communicate key information from the school board’s monthly meetings directly to families in a digestible way.

School board members are elected volunteers who set property tax rates, negotiate the work rules and pay for all school staff, and hire key school administrators. They are responsible for enacting policies that govern the district as well as enacting a budget that is larger than the city’s operating budget. In 2019, the budget was $643.7 Million.

Regardless of whether or not you have a child in the Pittsburgh public school system – if you are a resident of the city, the school board affects you. We encourage you to learn more about which district you live in, who your school board representative is, and which schools they directly represent.

VIRTUAL BOARD WATCH

You can watch previous board meetings on the district's Vimeo page, tune in live for their virtual sessions — OR, if you aren’t able (or don’t want to) watch the meetings — sign up for our monthly Board Watch newsletter below. We will deliver a concise recap of all key points from each month’s meetings directly to your inbox.

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

We are here to help you make sense of the school board!

VOTE SCHOOL BOARD FIRST

School Board elections are held during primary elections every other year. On May 18, 2021 voters will vote in the primary elections for Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Alarmed that only 1 in 5 registered voters cast a ballot for school board in off-year primary elections, A+ Schools has formed a coalition of Pittsburgh-based organizations to bring back the Vote School Board First! campaign.

With over 27,000 students in Pittsburgh’s district and charter schools, over 3,000 staff members, a general operating budget of over $646 million this year – and persistent gaps in opportunity and achievement – the Pittsburgh school board election is one of the most important on the ballot this May.

Visit voteschoolboardfirst.org for candidate information, volunteer opportunities to help get out the vote, help with identifying your district, links to register to vote, and more!