The committees meet every other week.

Murphy named David Matter, chief operating officer of the Oxford Development Co., and William Trueheart, president and chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Foundation, as chairmen of the commission.

Murphy and the co-chairmen worked together to select the remaining members. The commission is composed of parents, educators, attorneys, business leaders and other city residents.

"We looked for a core of competent individuals in each field for the committees," said Eloise Hirsh, commission director. "From there we tried to get people that represented a large cross-section of the community."

Hundreds of people volunteered to serve on the commission, Hirsh said.

Pittsburgh School Board President Jean Fink is not sure what ideas the commission will bring to the board, but said she and other board members will keep an open mind.

"It's no secret that we have problems," Fink said. "Sometimes when you get an outsider's view, it can be refreshing and insightful, and it may be what we need."

Hirsh said the working relationship between commission workers and the school board has been very "cordial."

The commission's goal is to have a proposition prepared for the school by spring, Hirsh said.

The commission hopes to have a preliminary evaluation of the schools by December.