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Langley, Oliver Among Schools Slated To Close

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Board of Education approved a realignment plan that calls for school closures and job cuts.

The district faces a projected $100 million budget deficit by the year 2015.

The board says they're trying to make the best of a challenging situation.

"When we do things like this and we have to make the cuts that we do, our job is not easy, it's generally the one that has to make that last decision that upsets everybody," School Board Member Theresa Colaizzi said.

To maximize building space, deal with enrollment and cut costs, the board voted to close and realign seven city schools – Fort Pitt pre-K to 5, Langley High School, Schaeffer, Stevens, Murray, Northview K-8 and Oliver High School.

Langley students will go to Brashear. Oliver students will attend Perry.

"To take Northview out of its community, put them on a bus to keep someone else's building open, is not a good thing," Mark Brentley, Sr., a school board member, said.

Even with these changes, the school board will still be in the red. Superintendent Linda Lane knows the challenge is far from over.

"Every community goes through the pain when you ask them to think about closing any kind of a school and especially high schools are difficult," she said.

The school board will deal with the budget as a whole in December.

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