The Pittsburgh Public Schools chief of staff resigned Thursday amid criminal accusations that he choked a woman. Blackwell, a Pittsburgh Perry High School graduate, was hired by Pittsburgh Public Schools in May 2024 at a salary of about $14,000 a month. Prior to joining Pittsburgh Public Schools, he was founding director of BUILD Pittsburgh, a K-12 entrepreneurship education program. The first day of school for Pittsburgh Public Schools students is Aug. 24 for grades 1-12, and Aug. 27 for kindergarten students. Information on the district’s plans to hire a new chief of staff was not immediately available.