By Grant Oliphant

The kudos accorded to Pittsburgh by President Barack Obama at the close of the G-20 Summit perfectly embodied the spirit of our city’s renaissance: that Pittsburgh is no longer a relic of the past; it is a beacon for the future, not only locally but nationally.

That our transition and continuing transformation is held in such high – and now international – regard should make us enormously proud. But as we bask in the afterglow of such preeminent praise, let us not forget that Pittsburgh’s sense of self-esteem is contingent on its continuing endurance for doing estimable things.

There are few better examples than the Pittsburgh Public Schools which in so many ways epitomize the future social, cultural and economic well-being of our community. Where there was dysfunction, over-capacity and under-performance, there is now an energized, streamlined and higher-achieving school district that is attracting attention for all the right reasons.

 In just four years, Mark Roosevelt, our city’s school superintendent, has masterminded a turn-around of gigantic proportions. In some spare time, he served as a principle architect of The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program, providing new hope and opportunity for our children and their families and a vital economic stimulus for our region.

That is why it is so gratifying to see the school board taking the unprecedented step to hold on to one of our community’s prized assets by devising a way to lock in Mark Roosevelt’s services beyond 2011 when his present contract is due to run out.

Great superintendents are tough to find and tougher to hold onto, especially when school districts around the country routinely lure them away with promises of big new contracts.

Pittsburgh’s school board is showing early foresight and fortitude to preserve the continuity of Mark’s bold and visionary leadership, and we wish them every success.