What’s at stake: The board of Pittsburgh Public Schools is responsible for hiring and evaluating the superintendent who leads the district. Last August, it hired Wayne Walters for the post. The board also approves a budget larger than that of the City of Pittsburgh and sets property tax rates. The PPS board is divided into nine districts, and representatives who live within each district are elected for four-year terms. Four seats are on this year’s ballot, but only one race is contested in the primary: District 2 runs along the Allegheny River, from East End neighborhoods such as Highland Park and Stanton Heights, down through the Strip District and over to North Side areas such as Spring Hill. (Find your district here.)
Salary: n/a
Worth reading:
“City school board candidates talk building closures and charter schools in first public forum” (Sarah Schneider, WESA)
Ron Sofo
Sofo, a retired schools administrator, says he would lean on his 32-year public school career, including serving a socioeconomically diverse student body, in as a board director. He says his knowledge of governance rules, regulations, and school law qualifies him. Sofo says he wants to be on the board to create improved and results-driven education for all Pittsburgh students.
Party: On Democratic and Republican ballots
Place of residence: Morningside
Education: B.A., University of Rochester; Masters of Education, Alfred University; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Current occupation: Retired
Related Experience: Principal/CEO, City Charter High School (2012-2018); superintendent and assistant superintendent, Freedom Area School District (1993-2012); assistant principal, PPS Greenway Middle School; special assistant to PPS superintendent (1988-1993)
Supporters/endorsements: Black Women For a Better Education; the Allegheny County Democratic Committee
Links: Website | Facebook
WESA Candidate Survey
What measures would you advocate for as a board member that would reduce inequity in funding and resources across district schools?
I believe we need to fund every Pittsburgh Public school as if it is a magnet school. There needs to be serious and transparent conversations in public view of the cost of the district paying for 38,000 student seats with an enrollment of less than 19,000 students in buildings that on average are 84 years old. We need to look at current labor agreements to determine if they contribute in any significant ways to the inequities and positively address them if needed.
How would you address the district’s significant loss of students in the last decade?
The board needs to lead for growth, not manage decline. District “student holding power” will improve when: every public school is a safe, caring school with instructional quality that ensures every student grows academically; parents select the public school that best fits their child’s learning style and interests; the board and superintendent foster a culture of educational innovation in every school by empowering the faculty and principal to create a unique mission and vision, like our magnet schools, with appropriate input from the students and families the school serves. This is especially needed for those schools that have failed our Black students for decades.
As many of the buildings the district maintains are under capacity and aging, how would you approach closing or consolidating schools?
The board and the superintendent need to lead courageous, transparent conversations with all community stakeholders to create a 50-year facilities master plan. The facilities master plan must accurately assess our future expectations and goals for our students and the schools they will need to be life- and career-ready. Decisions to close, consolidate, and build new school buildings must be guided by the educational needs of our students and incorporate lessons learned from the pandemic about the inequitable distribution of resources between schools and neighborhoods.
What is one policy change or proposal you would make to improve academic outcomes for Pittsburgh Public Schools students?
Universal child care and preschool starting at age 3 with transition services for early learners and their families through the district’s office of early child education, in partnership with the district’s Head Start and individual PPS elementary schools. Creative use of federal, state, and local funding from city, county agencies, and healthcare providers to enhance a web of equitable supports for preschool children and their families. Early childhood teachers/staff will have increased capacity to ensure all children are ready to learn as they enter kindergarten. Elementary principals and teachers will use this opportunity to redesign kindergarten to meet the needs of all children as they come to know them as learners and their families prior to arrival at their school building.
What role do you think charter schools currently play in educating city students, and what qualities will you look for in charter school renewals or proposals that come before you as a board member?
City charter schools give families a choice, especially Black and brown students, and other student groups marginalized by the traditional public-school model. The original purpose of the public charter school movement was to be centers of educational innovation, designed and owned by the teachers and administrators who volunteered to create them as research and development centers for their home district schools. Future authorization of all city charter schools needs to include this essential criterion along with measures of educational growth during a student’s charter school enrollment and student success at the next level of education or life after high school. These measures must be similar for all public schools in the district.
Devon Taliaferro
Taliaferro, the District 2 incumbent, is seeking a second term. Since 2015, she has worked with nonprofit organizations that serve PPS students and families. After one term on the board with various committee assignments, she says she continues to have passion and drive to center the needs of students and their outcomes.
Party: On Democratic and Republican ballots
Place of residence: East Allegheny (North Side)
Education: High School, some college
Current occupation: Talent acquisition coordinator, City of Pittsburgh
Related Experience: Pittsburgh Public Schools Board, District 2 (2019-present), first vice president of the board (2022-present); youth-serving nonprofit organizations working directly with PPS students, families, community members, and other stakeholders (2015-present)
Supporters/endorsements: Steel City Stonewall Democrats, Young Democrats of Allegheny County, Mayor Ed Gainey
Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram
WESA Candidate Survey
What measures would you advocate for as a board member that would reduce inequity in funding and resources across district schools?
With staff expenses being the majority of the budget, I am committed to investing in an equitable budget that will keep small class sizes and allocate funds so each school can have a full-time nurse, art teacher, music teacher, librarian, and other necessary support staff. Public school funding from the state is not enough to keep up with the rising costs; we shouldn’t rely on property taxes for education. While serving on the board, I have worked with our state legislators on solutions to address funding to secure the resources students need to thrive.
How would you address the district’s significant loss of students in the last decade?
The declining enrollment in PPS continues to be a challenge for our district beyond the impact of the pandemic. A major contributor to declining enrollment is the lack of affordable housing for district families, forcing them to move outside of the city in order to create a sustainable livelihood. As a board member, I will continue my commitment to requiring affordable housing units when developers ask for tax abatements from the school district, and will work alongside city officials to address issues of affordable housing and access to quality, well-paid job opportunities to improve the economic circumstances of Pittsburgh families.
As many of the buildings the district maintains are under capacity and aging, how would you approach closing or consolidating schools?
Our school buildings are more than just physical structures in need of repairs and upgrades; they are community assets. Any decision to close or consolidate schools could result in the loss of jobs for teachers and staff, burdensome school commutes for students and families, and the risk of creating education deserts that open up doors for new charter schools, further exhausting our budget. The conversation about school closure is one that generates trauma for many city residents and should not be taken lightly. I firmly believe that any decisions about closing schools must begin with authentic community engagement and input.
What is one policy change or proposal you would make to improve academic outcomes for Pittsburgh Public Schools students?
As I consider the challenges our district still faces, I am constantly considering equitable and inclusive solutions for how to improve academic outcomes for PPS students. It’s been proven that students who feel they belong and are safe, honored, and respected have better attendance and engagement in school. We must have practices in place that encourage and support our youth instead of pushing them out using exclusionary discipline. To improve student outcomes, we must invest in small class sizes, adequate staff, and full-time service coordinators and school-based services through our Community Schools model.
What role do you think charter schools currently play in educating city students, and what qualities will you look for in charter school renewals or proposals that come before you as a board member?
The charter school law is clear on how districts must consider charter school applications and renewals. I have considered and will continue to consider each one that comes before me on an individual basis. I am a strong public school advocate and believe our investment in public education has to be a priority. Families should be able to receive quality public school education in PPS, and the goal should be to address the issues, not open new schools. I continue to advocate with our state legislators for adequate funding and charter school reform.
