Peebles backers speak to North Allegheny school board
By Sandy Trozzo
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Members of the Save NA Schools group are confident they got their message — don’t close Peebles Elementary School — across to the North Allegheny school board during a seven-hour public hearing that didn’t adjourn until 2:20 a.m. last Thursday. But superintendent Raymond Gualtieri’s statement following testimony suggested the group still may face an uphill battle.
Board members will vote in May on an administration proposal to close the school, which is in McCandless.
“We feel the hearing could not have gone any better. We had over 100 speakers advocating on behalf of keeping Peebles elementary open, and not one speaker came forward advocating for the closing of the building,” said Tara Fisher, one of the leaders of the citizens’ group, Save NA Schools. “I think we’ve given them a lot to think about. We made a lot of educated, well-thought-out arguments.”
Speakers during the Jan. 30 public hearing were from all seven elementary schools, although most represented Peebles and Hosack.
Study of North Allegheny’s Peebles Elementary scrutinized
North Allegheny School District residents opposed to closing Peebles Elementary School are questioning why an engineer conducted a recent study of the school for free.
Alan Lilienthal, a Peebles parent, wondered whether it is appropriate for the district to have accepted a free study.
“I also wonder why anyone would work for free, unless there was something to gain down the road,” said Lilienthal, of McCandless.
But Jon Thomas, of Thomas & Williamson Program Management of Ross, said the district asked him to do a demographic and feasibility study.
“They came to me and said, ‘Can you help out?’ I said, ‘I’d be honored to help out,’ ” said Thomas.
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