Karen Boujoukos Elected to North Allegheny School Board

During a public interview Wednesday night with the North Allegheny School Board, board candidate Karen Boujokos promised that, thanks to her 10 years of prior service on the board, she would be able to "hit the ground running."

In voting to select her over nine other candidates, several board members cited Boujokos' experience as their reason for choosing her to replace their former colleague 

The final vote was 6-2, with board members Ralph Pagone and Dr. Joseph Greenberg supporting other candidates.

Boujokos, who will serve on the board until the first week of December, indicated she would not be seeking a full term and encouraged her fellow candidates to run again.

"We really need people to do this," she said. "It's not an easy job, it's a volunteer position, and as those of you who have been coming to meetings the last few months know, it can get contentious and it's hard.

"I am honored to be selected, but I believe each and everyone who applied tonight would do an equally fine job."

Laurel Schreiber, a member of Save NA Schools , which has been fighting the proposed closing of any school in the district, said she wasn't surprised by the outcome of the vote. 

"Not unexpected. The district talks a lot about transparency but here they have 10 candidates that were really well-educated, really smart people from across the district and they pick a former board member," she said.

"These (other candidates) are smart people, leaders in business, people who own their own businesses, I think that any of the other candidates could have easily settled into the position in a short amount of time."

Pagone said he supported Christopher Disque, a frequent critic of the decision to close Peebles Elementary School.  

"I feel that while it's important to have someone who understands the structure of the board, I also feel that it's important to have somebody that's up to date right now as to where we are, as a district, compared to where we were a year and a half ago," he said. 

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