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Pittsburgh Board of Public Education swears in four directors and elects Jean Walker president
Summary
At its Dec. 1 organizational meeting, the Pittsburgh Board of Public Education swore in four newly elected directors, elected Jean Walker president in a 6–2 roll-call vote, and approved appointments for treasurer and secretaries with bonds set at $250,000 each.
The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education held its organizational meeting Dec. 1, swearing in four newly elected directors and completing officer elections and appointments.
Judge Nicola Henry Taylor administered oaths to the newly elected directors — Tawana Cook Purnell, Erica Grayson, Dr. Tracy Reed and Eva Diodati — each repeating the oath of office before being congratulated. "You are now sworn," Judge Henry Taylor said after each oath.
In the meeting’s primary contested vote, the board elected Jean Walker as president after nominations for Walker and Devin Talifaro. A roll-call vote recorded individual director choices and—based on the roll-call entries in the transcript—Jean Walker received six votes to Devin Talifaro’s two and was declared elected president.
The board also organized other leadership positions. Dr. Tracy Reed was approved as first vice president and Yael Silk as second vice president, each as the sole nominee and by unanimous consent. The board read and approved a resolution naming Jennifer Gula as school treasurer and setting the bond for that office at $250,000, to be furnished at the board’s expense. The board likewise approved a resolution electing Wayne Walters as board secretary (in addition to his duties as superintendent) and naming Ira Weiss, Ronald J. Joseph and Laura Rossetti assistant secretaries; bonds for those offices were set at $250,000 each. Those resolutions were adopted by roll-call vote recorded as unanimous in the transcript.
Procedural items included nominating and appointing a temporary president to preside over the officer elections so the board could proceed with nominations and voting. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was moved, seconded and agreed to by voice vote.
Votes at a glance
- President (officer election): Jean Walker elected president; roll-call entries in the transcript indicate a 6–2 result in favor of Walker over Devin Talifaro. (See roll-call entries in the transcript for individual director votes.) - First vice president: Tracy Reed elected by unanimous consent. - Second vice president: Yael Silk elected by unanimous consent. - Treasurer: Jennifer Gula elected school treasurer; bond set at $250,000; resolution approved unanimously. - Secretary and assistant secretaries: Wayne Walters elected board secretary; Ira Weiss, Ronald J. Joseph and Laura Rossetti elected assistant secretaries; bonds set at $250,000 each; resolution approved unanimously.
Next steps and context: This organizational meeting completed the board’s formal officer selections and statutory bond settings for key financial offices. No substantive policy or budget decisions were taken at the meeting; the board adjourned after completing organization business.
