Speakers call for Pittsburgh Public Schools to cut police, security spending

The 30 people who provided testimony Monday during a virtual budget hearing focused on eliminating police, safety and security items from the 2021 Pittsburgh Public Schools budget.

The district spends just over 1% of its budget on school safety measures like police and security guards. In 2021, the school safety allocation is about $7.4 million of the proposed $664.8 million budget.

Most of the speakers were affiliated with the advocacy group One Pennsylvania. They said the “system of racist policing” in schools is a deadly public health crisis on par with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Budgets reflect the morals and values of our government agencies,” the group said in a statement released before the hearing that was parroted by the speakers.

The district needs to invest in the well-being of students through mental health programs instead of policing, the speakers said.

One Pennsylvania is calling on the district to phase out the 22 police officers employed by the district and to cap the number of security staff the district employs at its current number (66) and cut those positions as people retire.

The group also wants to eliminate metal detectors and surveillance equipment. The active-shooter drills called ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training should be replaced, they said, with initiatives that prioritize the behavioral and mental health of the students.

District staff took turns reading the testimony submitted by people before Monday’s meeting.

No one mentioned the district’s financial situation, although the budget proposal includes a $32 million deficit. By the end of next year, most of the district’s financial reserves will be depleted.

The concerns that were mentioned at the hearing were similar to those voiced during last year’s budget process. This year’s meeting was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.