Both Pittsburgh City Council and the Pittsburgh School Board appear ready to increase taxes for property owners. 

Council is debating a proposed 30% tax increase, and next week, the school board is expected to approve a new $700 million budget, including a 4% tax increase, even though it recently voted down a plan to close buildings and reduce costs.

After two years of discussion, the board voted down a plan that would have closed nine buildings, saving an estimated $6 million in staffing, maintenance and energy costs. Even so, it now appears ready to approve a 4% tax increase at next week's meeting.

"I think we made a mistake in not doing our part to ensure that PPS is financially stable. I think we have a chance to fix it, but it will take time," said Pittsburgh Public Schools board president Gene Walker. 

In asking for more tax money, Walker concedes the district will keep open enough buildings to house more than twice the 18,000 students currently enrolled. Still, the board bent to parents who did not wish their schools to be among the shuttered. 

"The plan as currently proposed results in overcrowded classrooms, overcrowded buses, it creates school deserts in densely populated vibrant urban communities," said parent Martha Riecks. 

But even the teacher's union, which found faults in the plan, argued for its passage as the reasonable thing to do.  

"Some schools need to be closed, there's no doubt about it. Some schools need to be closed," said Bill Hileman with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. 

Walker reluctantly joined those voting against the plan but only for a procedural reason. It will allow him to bring some version before new board members who have just taken their seats. But since the old board punted on the closure plan, he says those new members will likely need to approve the tax increase next week, but they won't be able to vote on a closure plan in time to make changes for next year.

And so it appears the new board will kick the can down the road even further, delaying any closure of schools for another year, adding millions of dollars in costs.