Incumbent Devon Taliaferro appears to have won the Democratic nomination in her bid for a second term representing neighborhoods in the northern and eastern parts of the city on the Pittsburgh Public Schools board. She held off a challenge from fellow District 2 candidate Ron Sofo, who was backed by an increasingly influential educational advocacy group, Black Women for a Better Education.
Two new board members who ran unopposed were also endorsed by the organization. With or without Sofo, a majority of board members are now backed by the group.
But the fight for District 2 could continue in November. Both candidates appeared on the Democratic and Republican ballots on Tuesday; school board candidates in Pennsylvania are allowed to cross-file in party primaries to minimize partisanship.
Sofo appeared to have secured the Republican nomination Tuesday but declined to comment on whether he intends to run on the Republican ticket in the fall. Sofo’s election materials refer to him as a Democrat.
Taliaferro, though, said regardless she is proud of the village of support she had received outside of political endorsements.
During her campaign, Taliaferro often told voters that she wanted to finish the work she started in her first term including shifts in school safety and policing efforts. She said on Tuesday that she heard loud and clear that families and staff want the best for kids and that the district has at times let them down.
“I share in wanting the best [for kids] and wanting to be the leader that can deliver solutions even when it's hard to see what the solutions could be. It's not being afraid to make the unpopular choices and decisions as long as I know that at the end of the day, ultimately, it benefits students," she said.
Taliaferro works for the City of Pittsburgh and was endorsed by Mayor Ed Gainey. But the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers did not support her second term, dropping the union’s support for her initial bid four years ago. She also did not receive the Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsement.
Instead, she aligned herself with groups including the Education Rights Network, 412 Justice, Black Girls Equity Alliance and the Coalition of Great Public Schools. She said the groups have led campaigns that have supported her decision-making
Taliaferro worked with the Black Girls Equity Alliance, for example, to revise outdated sexual education policies.
The board seat is a volunteer and unpaid position. And while it is sometimes seen as a stepping stone toward other positions, fundraising is usually modest. Sofo and Taliaferro were no exception, with Sofo raising $12,000 as of early May and Taliferro reporting about $7,000.
District challenges
The winner will face real challenges once seated on the board late this year. The state’s second-largest school district faces looming deficits and has seen an enrollment decline of 18.5% — or 4,200 students — since 2016. The district’s schools on average are 89 years old and about 60% of seats are filled. And officials say there’s still much work to do to address learning deficits stemming from the year-and-a-half that district students learned remotely.
Taliaferro has pledged that — if re-elected — she would complete the work she began in her first term.
Taliaferro said she wants to continue work on a new approach to school safety — an initiative that was stalled when former Superintendent Anthony Hamlet left the district. The board hired Wayne Walters last summer to lead PPS. Walters will soon begin a strategic planning process, which Taliaferro said will include safety work.
The district began using restorative justice practices as a disciplinary alternative in 2015 in about half of schools. After five years, results were mixed; the number of days students were suspended was reduced, but test scores in some grades fell, especially for Black students. Taliaferro said she wants the board to again pick up the work she started and evaluate if the restorative practice model is working.
Taliferro has said she opposes efforts to close down schools, even though many are operating under capacity. She says the buildings provide community resources — even if classrooms aren’t full — and closing them might ease the district’s budget crunch. Any conversation she said must seek community input.
A new vision
The District 2 race was a key test for how influence over the board has been shifting.
The city teacher’s union has played a significant role in previous school board elections, with healthy donations to endorsed candidates. But a new political group calling for change appears set to wield the most influence next year.
The Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers did not endorse either candidate in the District 2 race: PFT President Nina Esposito-Visgitis said that was because neither candidate aligned with the union’s “most pressing goals, needs and priorities.”
Esposito-Visgitis did not elaborate on which issues those were, but Taliferro has defied the union on a handful of core concerns, including talks of arming school police.
Candidates backed by Black Women for Better Education, meanwhile, have fared well. Three such candidates won races in 2021. The addition of two endorsed board members this year means a majority of the board has been vetted and approved by the group.
Yael Silk ran unopposed in her primary race for District 4, Emma Yourd did the same in District 6, and Dwayne Barker appears poised to represent District 8. Silk and Barker were backed by BW4BE.
None of the incumbents holding those seats sought re-election.
The group formed in 2020 in response to what they called a slow and inadequate move to remote learning in Pittsburgh Public Schools. It called on the board to not renew Superintendent Anthony Hamlet’s contract, saying the top leader had not made improvements in the district, especially for Black students. The board, including Taliaferro, approved Hamlet’s contract renewal, but soon after, Hamlet resigned following a state investigation that found he violated its ethics law.
Members of the political committee say the district is at a “critical juncture” thanks to consistent enrollment declines, under-resourced schools, and looming hard decisions about the district’s infrastructure.
“Our school board needs leaders with proven track records who are willing to challenge racism, dysfunction, and ineffective policies and practices, as well as collaborate with others, build partnerships, and bring all voices to the table to create meaningful change,” the committee said in a statement.
