Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-2 to appoint Diamond Marshall to represent its District 2 seat Monday night.
Members Jennettie Marshall (no relation) and E'Lena Ashley were the dissenting votes.
Marshall is a former TPS educator and current field organizer with the Terence Crutcher Foundation.
Before the vote Marshall spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting to act on the board in solidarity with the district's majority-minority population, as well as with its educators.
District 2 had gone since January 23 without a member, and many in the community had voiced outrage with the board for taking 56 days to fill the vacancy.
By voting to approve Marshall on Monday, TPS will avoid a special election that would have seen the seat remain unfilled until likely September.
In the other main issue during the meeting, the board voted down a proposed 2023-24 school year calendar which would have started Friday classes 90 minutes later.
According to the board, the calendar was backed by Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association and the local chapter of Teachers Federation of America.
The proposed calendar would have done away with professional work days while adding nine days to the overall school year.
The board voted the measure down 4-2, with School Board President Stacey Woolley requesting a new proposed calendar to be presented as soon as possible.
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