Gates Foundation gives $40 million to Pittsburgh public schools

[Pat Riot]

Is this not awesome?

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09323/1014705-298.stm

[Number9Dream]

1. Do you think conditions will be met?

Hi Dianne - Just saw this. Good for the schools if they receive it.

"Now, implementation will require not only continued cooperation of union leadership, but the support of union members, who would have to approve new pay structures and other changes before the plan could be fully implemented."

"The district will have to raise $45 million from public and other private sources to complement the $40 million from the Gates Foundation."

It's not clear if the $45 million is also a condition to get the $40 million, or just district plans. Would they raise school taxes in order to receive the grant? Are Pittsburgh school taxes astronomically high like much of the rest of PA?

[Pat Riot]

2. Yep, I think it's a done deal

Gates already has ties here, has given a big bundle to Carnegie Mellon (CMU's foremost in computer sciences and robotics, among other things.) The way I understand it, it is sort of a condition to raise the 45 to get the 40, but a mere formality, as they have a bunch of donors lined up and it is also a continuation of an already ongoing plan.

Yeah, our property taxes in the city are nuts, although some outlying burbs aren't too bad. We just went through a whole ordeal of reassessment, people outraged and fighting it, re-reassessments, etc. Our county exec Dan Onorato, who's running for Gov. now, was big on the property tax reform issue. Hope if he makes it to Harrisburg he keeps walking that walk.