Pittsburgh School Board Approves Plan to Hire Teachers From Teaching Magnet Program
Graduates of the teaching magnet program at Brashear High School will now have a guaranteed job with the city school district after they finish college and get the required certifications.
The agreement with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, which has been in the works for several years, was approved by the school board at its meeting Wednesday night.
Students who graduated from the high school program this year will be the first eligible cohort to come back to the district for work in 2023-24 school year, after they complete a college-level state-approved teacher preparation program and receive their teaching certifications.
“It would be great for them to come back and teach in the community they grew up in,” said Hannah McCarthy, who leads the program. “I'm excited about it.”
The Brashear Teaching Magnet began in 1989 as the Langley Teaching Academy, and moved several years ago when Langley High School was closed. About 100 students in grades nine through 12 enrolled in the program this year, and about 20 of them were seniors.
More than 40 incoming freshmen are expected for the upcoming school year, Ms. McCarthy said. The program draws students from neighborhoods all across the city.
School district leaders have touted the magnet program as a way to address an overall shortage of teachers and as a means to diversify its teacher population to be more reflective of the Pittsburgh student body.
“This is how we recruit our minority students, when you grow your own,” said board member Sylvia Wilson during a meeting last week. “This is wonderful that we have this and (it) will continue. It is a strong program.”
Read more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh school board approves plan to hire teachers from teaching magnet program