Occupation
Constituent services advisor
Qualifications for office
Office of state Rep. Jessica Benham (Dec. 2020-present); PPS parent and District 7 community member
Education
A.S., anesthesia technology, Western School of Health and Business Careers
Facebook
Facebook.com/mahdibeypps
If elected as school board member I would support I would support middle and high school students through relentless advocacy to the state to add the additional funds to the line item to ensure that our children don’t miss crucial instruction days because of the cuts. I recently read an article where the Baldwin-Whitehall S.D. is going to be training children to receive their CDL’s through a program they will be starting soon to address the school bus driver shortage that they are facing. Maybe that could be something we could possibly consider to make PPS less reliant on Pittsburgh Regional Transit?
If elected, I would like to be a bridge between PPS and various levels of government (City, County, State) to address the budget shortfalls that PPS faces. The earned income tax diversion that the city collects is roughly the same amount of the current budget deficit. The city has been out of distressed status since 2018. If elected I would like to sit at the table with other elected officials and figure out a way to address this budget shortfall.
I first and foremost would keep the children and community centered in any and ALL decisions. Secondly I would be open to getting more community schools in the district. Community schools are hubs for the community. The data shows reduction in violence and attendance boosts in the community schools in PPS.
Occupation
Teen Library Services Associate at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Qualifications for office
I have 10+ years experience working with youth. I've lived in south Pittsburgh my entire life (the district I would represent) and I have an understanding of priorities of these communities. Lastly, I have leadership and board experience from serving as the Treasurer for my union, USW Local 9562.
Education
PPS Brashear graduate, BA in Theatre Arts from Duquesne University, MA in English and Media from Duquesne University
Facebook
www.facebook.com/people/Diodati-4-Pittsburgh/61572432405317/
Should public transportation get cut as proposed by PRT, I believe my first step would be to meet with my fellow board members to come up with a list of possible solutions and to begin exploring the feasibility of each one. For some students, we may need more school buses or to adjust start times to reuse buses. For other students, we could arrange for a community partner to pick up the students and bring them to and from the school, such as the Nana's Program that has shown a lot of success at Pittsburgh's Arlington High School.
Currently, a large portion of PPS funding is being diverted to the City of Pittsburgh per Act 47 (2018). The City of Pittsburgh is no longer in the dire-straits that led them to enact 47 and it is time to stop the diversion. That said, per A+ Schools, PPS teachers are well paid with many earning $100,000/year; the classrooms are small with a good student to teacher ratio; there is solid funding with over $30,000 in per pupil spending; and Pittsburgh ranks 4th in the nation for philanthropic giving. PPS has all the reasons to succeed and yet continues to fail; therefore we must turn our focus to more immediate concerns.
PPS has hit the point at which the can has been kicked down the road so much that we've run out of road. Clear action must be taken, before irreparable harm is done. The plan as it stands is still very much up for adjustment and as things move forward it will change a lot. Community input will be critical in every step. Consolidation does not have to be a bad word. It means putting more funding in one place to help more students at one time. I believe that, if we keep moving and put strong plans into place, we will give every PPS student access to the great education they deserve in a school within which they can learn.
