IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Summer 2017 | Page 66

Brentwood
Borough
School
District
SUPERINTENDENT’S
M E S S A G E
BY DR . AMY M. BURCH
Leadership Pittsburgh Experience
Through the generosity of the Grable Foundation a once in a lifetime opportunity was made possible to
School Board Director, Mr. David Schaap and Superintendent, Dr. Amy Burch. These District representatives
participated in Cohort XXXIII of Leadership Pittsburgh (LP), which is a 10 month program for established
senior-level leaders. From September through June, LP sessions provided exposure, experiences, and
connections that prepared them to tackle the challenges of senior leadership in our community. Over
the months, the two developed a deeper, behind-the-scenes understanding of the connected systems
of the region, met with the “movers and shakers”, and gained a different perspective on the Pittsburgh
community. The cohort met to analyze and discuss topics such as our regions’ economy, education and
career development, the impact of local government, inclusive communities, justice and human services,
our state government, and arts in our region. In addition to the scheduled workshops, the cohort were
also teamed with local organizations to apply what we learned.
The session that had the greatest impact on Dr. Burch as a leader was the opportunity to travel to
Harrisburg to learn more about our state government. Leadership Pittsburgh organized speakers to
discuss the most challenging issues surrounding our state, education and budget deficit. Multiple leaders
from both sides of the House and the Senate shared their views on these two topics. It reiterated the
necessity for everyone to be actively engaged in advocating for public education.
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