Monday, February 16, 2015

Board candidates

Anonymous wrote:

"New Posting: Researching the candidates who vie for 3 city school board seats. Lets debate their merits and leadership qualities as they compete. "

18 comments:

Questioner said...

PG article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/02/16/Candidates-line-up-for-4-Pittsburgh-school-board-seats/stories/201502160003

Anonymous said...


Let the research include any direct or indirect Broad/Gates influence.

Anonymous said...


Consider Which of the candidates project independent critical thinking skills.

Anonymous said...


At first glance Patricia Rogers is a Legislative assistant to Rep.Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District. Consider Wheatley's voice has been largely silent when it comes to Milliones UPrep.

Anonymous said...

"Mr. Burkley’s election committee is chaired by David Caliguiri, son of the late Mayor Richard Caliguiri, and its treasurer is Cate Reed, a former city school district administrator who left the district to work for Teach for America"
CATE REED is a red flagr for me, plus his kids go to Carlow Campus school--
nuf said

Anonymous said...

Cate Reed also has not chosen PPS for her children, despite being quoted in the PG some years back as stating that although at one time she would not have been comfortable with PPS for her (yet unborn at the time) children, that was no longer the case.

Anonymous said...


Who of us would send our children to PPS... unless we had no other alternative?

Anonymous said...


2:16

This blog's mantra has been PPS's failure to educate the children of Pittsburgh. Hardly a priority ( where they send their kids )for considering a candidate.
I'd send my kids to Carlow Campus school if I could.

Questioner said...

Those whose children attend or have attended PPS will have a level of understanding, experience and insight to what is happening in PPS that those outside the system do not have. It's not the only factor, and may not be the most important factor, but it is something to consider.

Anonymous said...


Interesting. Wilkinsburg has experienced a change in Leadership in it's Superintendency and School Board within the past year. Many of them from outside the system. What they have brought to the table has been not only leadership but critical thinking skills to solve acute long standing problems and the ability to build trust
Above all they bring a commitment to serve the children.

Anonymous said...

Outside can be good-- but someone who in is league with a special interest group like TFA--is not what this city needs. One side step from Broadie

Anonymous said...

12:15
In response to Broad/Gates ties, I am weary of Patricia Rogers's connection to Jake Wheatley. Mr. Wheatley is likely to push for Broad/Gates type of reform. He has ignored U prep/ Milliones while advocating for charter schools.

Also his involvement with the urban league raises major red flags. I contacted the urban league many times to look into u prep, and was ignored. I later found out that A+ schools is already in cahoots with the urban Leauge and the urban league serves as a mouthpiece to influence the black community with A+ schools garbage ideas.

In fact, Carey Harris and Ester Bush of the Urban League co-write many editorials promoting TFA, denouncing teacher tenure and seniority, and promoting charter schools. Their goal seems to be to weaken our public school system.

Jake Wheatley continues to ignore U Prep while promoting charter schools. Any person with association to him or the urban league is troubling. Unfortunately, that instantly rules out Ms. Rogers for my consideration.

The other one I would watch out for is Burkley. Seeing him name tied to Cate Reed is an automatic deal breaker!

It would be great to hear one of these candidates acknowledge the destructive force that is Broad/ Gates/Roosevelt/Lane and speak out against it.

Even better would be the promise to break the chain and select a superintendent with ties to pittsurgh and no ties to broad/gates!

Anonymous said...

Broad gates schools are just not the kind of schools Bill Gates would send his kids to.

Anonymous said...



Clearly any 'agendas' that the candidates may or may not have need to be vetted.

Anonymous said...

5:06- YES! Any candidate willing to say NO to Broad/Gates and other organizations determined to stamp out public education has a real rallying point for this city!

Anonymous said...

Candidates needs to know what school board members do one thing nonpartisan makes important decisions sets vision for the school district meaning sets up structure for the superintendent and administrators to manage the schools.teachers to teach and students to learn.Also responsible to hire and evaluate the superintendent and the policies they make that affects the school dist. also serve as the judicial body over unresolved conflicts in dist as well monitoring the dist. finances and collective bargaining process.Candidates have to be open mind when making key decision for the dist have to respect other board members and must respect community in which they serve.
enclosing theses are some concerns before you vote for a candidate about Broad/Gates that's going to be there!!!!!!remember the board sets the policy up to them to work around Broad/Gates that be their CHALLENGE

Anonymous said...

What concerns me is that when you have politicians endorsing certain candidates, how "independent" thinking/voting will that candidate be if elected? Our mayor has already expressed intentions to get involved in PPS. He set up the education task force (which did nothing I might add). He traveled to Seattle to visit Gates' people. He has his hands in multiple pies. Yet when he was on Undercover Boss, he did not even mention The Pittsburgh Promise and PPS. One has to question politicians' real agendas.

Anonymous said...


Mr. Burkey and Ms. Rogrers were defeated. Lynda Wrenn, Moira Kalaida and Kevin Carter got the party recommendation for the three contested seats for the city of Pittsburgh school board.