The last time Veronica Arias ran for Local School Council at George Washington High School four years ago, she won a seat as a parent representative with 39 votes.
On Thursday, in what turned out to be one of the most contested school elections in the city, Arias won again as a community rep — with a whopping 173 votes.
Washington’s turnout was relatively high after the current LSC chair led efforts to oust a popular principal — efforts that blew up at the school’s public meetings. Tina Perez and allies declined to renew Principal Kevin Gallick’s contract. Many credited Gallick and his team with leading vast improvement efforts at the school, which is a stone’s throw from the Indiana border.
Students protested at those meetings and inside the school.
“I think the community heard it,” Arias said. “The community heard it and the community wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of.”
Twelve parents of George Washington High School competed for six open seats on the council tasked with hiring and evaluating the school’s principal and approving its budget. Eight more community members vied for two council openings during elections held at Washington and the rest of the city’s high schools. That’s in a year when many of CPS’ schools failed to attract enough candidates at all for the school-level elections.
Well aware of the situation, CPS also sent an election monitor to the school, the district confirmed.
Some parents allegedly wanted to contest the results, but as of Friday, CPS hadn’t received any official complaints.
Perez retained her seat with the fifth-largest number of votes — 83 — but apparently has lost her majority, as well as enough supporters to form a quorum by themselves. She did not return a message seeking comment.
At least one of her teacher allies was defeated and replaced by one of the principal’s most ardent supporters. Several parents who approved of the school’s changes over the past four years won or kept the other places.
Arias has seen the improvements over the past several years.
College acceptance and attendance rates are up, and Washington has boasted the district’s highest “buy-in” rate — that means it attracts and keeps a higher percentage of students from the surrounding neighborhood than any other school.
Gallick’s contract has not been renewed. He couldn’t be reached for comment. If no one is hired by July 1, when new LSC members take office, CPS will make an appointment to head the school.
