BEVERLY — Five members of the controversial "Bulldog Slate" were re-elected to the Local School Council at Sutherland Elementary on Monday.
Parent representatives Laurie Cleary, Julie O'Connor and Laurie DelFavero all won re-election after voting to oust Principal Catherine Gannon on Jan. 10. Community representatives Laurie Ach and Tom McGourty were also re-elected as part of the slate.
Joining them on the council as parent representatives are Terese Cleary, Martin Dargan and Marva Davis. All three were outspoken critics of the slate and the decision to not to renew Gannon's four-year contract.
Luke Somerville was also a member of the Bulldog Slate but dropped out of the race after learning his daughter was accepted into a selective enrollment school. And since he will no longer have any children attending the school at 10015 S. Leavitt St. in Beverly, he would not be eligible to be a parent representative.
But Somerville's name remained on the ballot, because he received notice of his daughter's entry into Whitney M. Young Magnet High School's junior high program after the deadline had passed to remove his name from pool of candidates, Somerville said.
He did not campaign and received 36 votes — the least of any of the 17 candidates.
"I think it is all positive," Somerville said of the election results.
The Bulldog Slate, named after Sutherland's mascot the Bulldogs, campaigned together during the most recent and previous local school council election. And some in the community saw this election as a referendum on Gannon's ouster.
Laurie Cleary on Tuesday thanked those who voted for her and the other members of the slate, pointing out that every Bulldog Slate candidate who ran again won re-election.
"I do believe we have a community mandate to move forward with our positive vision for our school, and I'm excited for our students, our teachers and our neighborhood," she said in an email.
Somerville said Monday's vote was a reflection of the community's desire to focus on the school's future.
"The school needs to move on, grow and become the apple it once was," Somerville said.
Though Gannon has vowed to fight the council's decision, the principal selection process has continued. The list was recently reduced to five, all of whom are working as principals or assistant principals in the area, including one who works at a charter school, Somerville said.
A candidate forum is planned for May 1, allowing parents and community members to interview those interested in the Sutherland job, Somerville said.
The next meeting of the Sutherland council is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 22 in the school auditorium.
