WHAT IS STEEL VALLEY STRONGER?

The Steel Valley School District is at an important crossroads as we look to define our future. We face annual budget deficits while devoting nearly $7 million per year to charter school expenses. We have aging infrastructure and the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need for school districts to provide greater support to students and families. We have needs, but we also have an opportunity to address them and position the district to take significant steps forward.

Thanks to federal funding through the American Rescue Plan, we have approximately $5 million that we must spend by September 2024. We can use these funds to finance substantial one-time costs, purchase new curriculum, provide academic supports and programs to combat learning loss, and more. 

In December 2021, superintendent Edward Wehrer made a presentation to the Steel Valley School District Board of Directors and the community. The presentation detailed Mr. Wehrer's plan to position the district for the future by addressing the district’s primary needs and by emphasizing Steel Valley’s commitment to academics, health, equity and inclusion, and career readiness. 

The presentation can be clicked through below or read as a PDF on the district web site. 

The four pillars of Steel Valley Stronger do not exist in isolation. How well someone does academically depends on their health, their support system and the opportunities they are provided. Academics, health, careers and equity are intertwined in education. These four pillars have been significant components of the Steel Valley experience in the past. The goal through Steel Valley Stronger is to turn them into strategic focal points so that they become areas of even greater strength.

One way in which these core components can be supported is by enhancing existing partnerships and by developing new relationships with providers around the region. The district is fortunate to have local partners like the Best of the Batch Foundation and the Carnegie Library of Homestead and regional entities like UPMC Children’s Hospital. As the district grows through Steel Valley Stronger, those relationships will blossom and their impact on our community will grow.