Housing Authority to provide internet and laptops to 872 Pittsburgh students

Pittsburgh Public Schools is partnering with the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh to provide laptops and internet access to low-income students living in public housing during the covid-19 pandemic.

In a legislative meeting Wednesday, the district accepted a donation of $275,000 from the Housing Authority to support the purchase of laptops and entered into an agreement to provide internet to students living in its facilities. Michelle Sandidge, chief community affairs officer at the Housing Authority, estimated the cost of providing internet will be under $100,000.

“It’s essential for us to be able to provide the same type of opportunities for all children,” said Sandidge. “This is the next generation, so we’re investing in them now. … We’re excited to have our kids at the same table as everyone else.”

The donation and partnership will benefit 872 students, said Errika Jones, chief of staff to the superintendent. Board members approved the donation unanimously.

“I truly thank the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh for stepping up to the plate to assist our students that are living in their facilities,” said Terry Kennedy, the board’s second vice president, from District 5. “I really value their partnership and their willingness to give assistance to us.”

The district has been in the process of providing laptops and internet to students since schools closed in mid-March, distributing paper handouts of instructional material for students who can’t get online for schoolwork. While the district said they’ve received positive feedback from families, some parents complained during a public hearing about the distance learning plan. Parents have criticized the district’s use of Microsoft Teams as the computer communications program, saying it was too complex for both parents and students. Early on, many also said the paper handouts were blurry and illegible. The district has since fixed this printing issue.

Unable to control the quality of internet access and instruction for all students, the district voted in April to give all students passing grades for the fourth quarter. At a virtual news conference with reporters last week, the district said a need for nearly 6,000 devices remained to provide one to every district student.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board also approved a $50,000 grant from the Grable Foundation to support the purchase of laptops for third-grade students ahead of the district’s summer programs. Gregg Behr, executive director of the foundation, said the grant should be able to purchase between 175 and 200 devices.

“It’s obviously just a small part, but we wanted to be part of the solution for the kids in Pittsburgh Public Schools,” Behr said.

Behr said the Grable Foundation, which focuses on education and youth, has given several grants to districts in the region to support their learning needs during the pandemic and train teachers to “transform” the way they educate. The pandemic has heightened attention to severe inequality that all districts must address, he said, and it’s a need that will continue to develop for years to come.

“I think the great questions for educators and administrators is how do we preserve what is timeless — like relationships — and also what does the future demand of us?” he said.

The partnership between the Housing Authority and the city school district has existed for at least four years, Sandidge said. She estimated there are more than 900 district students living in public housing, and the Housing Authority has often supported educational initiatives, including grab n’ go meals, after-school tutoring and activities, scholarships, transportation and more, she said.

“We’re in constant discussion on how we can better serve the kids that we have in public housing,” she said.

Sandidge said improving internet access for residents enrolled in Pittsburgh Public Schools has been a long-standing goal of the Housing Authority, but the covid-19 pandemic created an immediate need.

“The pandemic has somewhat pushed the envelope,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that the pandemic happened, but in a lot of cases it fast-tracked things we were talking about.”