DISTRICT 2: DEVON TALIAFERRO
2023 Vote School Board First! Candidate Questionnaire:
Q: What, in your view, is PPS doing very well? What needs course correction?
A: PPS is the largest provider of high-quality Early Childhood Education in Pittsburgh. We currently operate 82 preschool classrooms and 6 Head Start classrooms in 35 locations. In addition, we support and collaborate with 20 local childcare agencies to provide comprehensive services for children and families.
PPS Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are highly regarded for creating pathways to prosperity for our students, exposing them to careers, and developing the experience and skills they need to transition into the workforce after graduation. Our partnership with the City of Pittsburgh is a great example, exposing students to careers in the City of Pittsburgh by way of paid internships.
PPS has made the commitment to invest in culturally inclusive practices and professional development for staff. We are intentional about removing cultural and language barriers, physical access barriers, and any other barriers to access.
PPS has prioritized positive school climates with a focus on Restorative Practice and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Now we need to ensure proper resources for the implementation of these programs as well as dedicated staff to work with students, teachers, and parents to create safe, supportive, and welcoming schools.
Q: What is the role of the school district in the success of the city? How will you partner with other governmental entities?
A: We all serve the same children, so we must be working together on behalf of Pittsburgh’s kids. In my role as the chair of the Government Relations Committee, I have worked to build bridges with the city and county governing bodies to find ways to share resources and integrate support and services in our schools for students and families. For example, we can all work together for the expansion of Community Schools. I’ve been a strong advocate for ending the diversion of the Earned Income Tax to the city which keeps $20 million a year from our schools. I continue to be a bridge builder and bring our city and county officials to the table and determine solutions that are best for our students and their families.
Our students are the workforce of tomorrow. It’s my goal for every student who graduates from PPS to want to live and work in Pittsburgh and be well prepared to do so. I was thrilled when I was appointed to be the CTE liaison because I know that CTE programs are a critical pathway for our students and there is so much more we can do to build the programming.
PPS is one of the largest employers in our region. The District is responsible for investing in making PPS a great place to work so we can retain staff who feel valued, are paid well, and are true partners in the sustainability of public education.
Q: What training/information do you think you will need to be successful in your role as a school board member?
A: I am a strong believer in continuous learning and take advantage of professional learning opportunities provided to the Board. It is important, as a leader in public education, to understand educational best practices for equitable student achievement as well as an understanding of the national, state, and local efforts to dismantle public schools. I attend every Board meeting and get questions answered before making important decisions.
Q: What do you believe a school board member should know/be able to do relative to district operations?
A: Board members should have an understanding of the budget, policy, laws, and regulations that govern public school operations.
In my experience as a Board member, I found that having a working relationship with students, parents, educators, and community members is a critical ingredient for the success of students. Effective Communication is also a valuable skill to have serving on a school board, without it, it becomes challenging to work together as a board of directors and with the Superintendent.
Q: We know that the pandemic had a negative effect on school attendance. How will you fulfill your role to create and foster schools where kids want to be?
A: Even when school is where students want to be, there are barriers that sometimes prevent them from getting there. Our counselors, social workers, and school administrators must figure out what is getting in the way of daily attendance and work with the student and family to remove any barriers. We also have to balance the need for attendance with the need to stay home when we are sick to keep others healthy. As the current school board director I continue to be a thought partner with our Superintendent and his administration to identify best practices in how we can address attendance. I will continue to support efforts that prioritize student voices and create safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments.
Q: Given that nutrition is closely tied to student health and academic outcomes, what initiatives should PPS support to help promote healthy food access for PPS students?
A: PPS provides up to three meals and a snack daily to its students and staff, as well as to various community partners. Healthy food access is a priority of the district because we recognize that access to good food is essential to the health, wellness, productivity, and achievement of its students and staff. I’m proud during my time on the board, that we passed a Good Food Purchasing Policy to ensure dollars spent on food support student wellbeing, as well as the local economy and environment. The Good Food Purchasing Policy defines “good food” as local, sustainable, humane, fair, and healthy, and shall be used to guide the District’s food procurement practices.
PPS entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Center for Good Food Purchasing to provide planning, training and technical assistance; and evaluation support for the Pittsburgh Public Schools Food Service department to implement the Good Food Purchasing Policy.
Q: With enrollment declining in PPS, what is your vision for the future of the physical footprint of the district?
A: My vision is to have full funding and support for neighborhood-based community schools. Schools play an instrumental role in supporting and nurturing our students, but only when they're adequately, equitably, and fairly funded. Lessons from the past teach us that rather than closing schools or turning them over to private, unaccountable managers, we should work to support and build up our schools as strong public institutions in the heart of each and every community. I support the expansion of Community Schools that provide wraparound support and services for students and their families and act as anchors for their communities.
Any conversations about closing schools must begin with authentic community input. I firmly believe the best solutions will come from the bottom up, not the top down.
Q: What are your plans to desegregate our school district?
A: Pittsburgh has always been identified as the “Tale of Two Cities” so it has always been clear to me that we live and go to school in a segregated city. In a gender equity report released by the City of Pittsburgh in 2019, it states the Black Women had the worst outcomes in Pittsburgh and their circumstances would immediately improve simply by moving to 97% of comparable cities in the US. For example, in Pittsburgh, there is not a significant population of the Black middle class and the minimum wage in PA is STILL $7.25. It is not surprising that Black families leave Pittsburgh because there is no opportunity for economic growth. We need to improve economic circumstances for Black families, poor families, and immigrant families in the City so they can afford to live anywhere. This highlights the importance of building bridges between our city and county officials, as well as our state legislators to continue advocating for growth and opportunities for our families, which ultimately benefits our students and their educational experiences.
With that being said, integration of schools is an important topic that requires authentic public discussion and feedback. I expect this conversation to happen soon in conjunction with discussions about the district’s footprint and feeder patterns.
Q: How do you plan on integrating student voice into your decisions? Are you aware of the existing channels of student voice to tap into?
A: PPS has significantly expanded opportunities for students to have a voice in shaping their education. We’ve worked to make sure students are represented by all schools and all demographics and have plenty of opportunities to be heard by adult decision-makers. I’ve been working on a Board Student Advisory Committee similar to the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee. This opportunity, I hope, will give our students a look into the window of how the board operates and the types of decisions we are charged with that impact them. It also gives the board the opportunity to hear directly from students which I always seek to understand from student leaders I have encountered.
Q: What role does the school board play in improving the learning environment for our students?
A: Schools should be welcoming and inclusive. Students, parents, educators, and community members should feel their cultures and contributions are respected and valued. School board members must be intentional and committed to policies and practices that value each student. We recognize that Black lives matter, and support policies that seek to rectify years of systemic racism and disparate discipline practices within our systems. We also support the rights of community members to love who they want, be referred to as they wish, and be free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying. We will not shame students for needing support, accommodations, or special education to access their education.
Schools that push out historically disadvantaged students and treat parents as intruders will not have a strong learning environment. Schools, where you feel respected and have a sense of belonging, are better places to both work and learn. This is what I strive to advocate for and acknowledge in my board leadership and will continue to do so in my next term.
Q: What do you think the proper role of a board member is to help foster positive school discipline and building a positive school climate?
A: Harsh school discipline policies disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities, increasing the likelihood that a student will drop out or become involved in the juvenile justice system, and thus contribute to persistent achievement gaps for these students.
Restorative practices, mediation, and other alternative discipline policies allow students to learn from their mistakes without excluding them from the classroom, and they provide a safer and more supportive school climate.
The Board is responsible to prioritize investment in the policies and practices that foster and build positive school climates to keep students in school and learning.
Q: Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters has put forward 5 priority goals, what are your thoughts on the goals and do you see yourself as a board member fitting into those goals?
A: Dr. Wayne Walters and the Board agreed to 5 priority goals that we believe will improve student outcomes. I am supportive and will do my part to make sure the policies and practices are in place to achieve the goals. I’m excited about the next step; the upcoming Strategic planning process where the community will be invited to provide its input. We have a Superintendent that is “Unapologetically” student first, and I will remain a Board Member with the same focus. Our students' outcomes and academic success is a priority, and the goals that we have adopted will allow us to deliver the quality educational experience our students need and deserve.
Q: A Commonwealth Court Judge recently ruled the way Pennsylvania funds education is unconstitutional, do you think PPS is funded sufficiently? (Please explain why or why not)
A: PPS, like other public school districts, has expenses that increase each year with revenue that does not increase at the same rate. State revenue doesn’t cover the cost of educating students, so local property taxes are needed to make up for the rest. In PPS, charter school expense is 20% of our budget. Prior to 2011, the state reimbursed districts for charter schools. Now, public school districts have the responsibility to fund more than one system of education. The state provides funding for special education expenses with the assumption that students with disabilities make up 16% of enrollment, while in reality, students with disabilities are over 20% of enrollment. It’s time that the federal and state governments commit to adequate funding for public school districts so students can have the schools they deserve. In my board role as chair of the Government Relations Committee, I have advocated tirelessly, meeting in Harrisburg with our state legislators on both sides of the aisle to come up with solutions on how we can best fund our school district.
Q: What is your vision for using the existing budget?
A: Our budget is the people’s budget; funded by citizens and taxpayers. In my first year on the Board, we passed a Budget Planning Resolution that mandated at least three public Budget Planning Workshops to allow for Board and public input into the budget planning process. After a couple of years of implementation, I see changes are needed to improve the process. My goal is for the Board to clarify the timing of the Workshops so they are not all held in the weeks leading up to the annual budget adoption in December and clarify the content of the Workshops to have deeper discussions about aligning budget decisions to district priorities, values, and vision.
Staff expenses are a majority of the budget. I’m committed to 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.
Q: Many PPS families struggle with basic needs such as housing and food insecurity. How should the district be allocating resources to address these needs?
A: PPS understands how critical it is for students and families to have basic human needs met. For example, we have an identification system to find students who are experiencing homelessness so we can provide support and resources.
PPS also currently has nine designated Community Schools, with full-time Service Coordinators and school-based services, however, the needs are not isolated to just these schools. Community Schools are an effective and evidence-based way to remove learning barriers by working with students, parents, teachers, and community members to identify needs in each school and create new sustainable partnerships. I support the expansion of community schools throughout the district to provide integrated wraparound support to benefit all students.