BRIDGEPORT — With the 2014 Local School Council elections in the books, it'll soon be time for the newly elected groups to hunker down and get to work.
The councils are made up of elected parents and community representatives along with school teachers, staffers and principals.
For some, absorbing the latest CPS mandates and other big council responsibilities — OK'ing principal contract renewals is among the main roles — will be old hat.
"For me, it’s been a good way to make sure the community is represented," said Adam Campbell, a 16-year veteran who's again serving as a community representative at Canaryville's Graham Elementary School.
"This community has needed an above-average school. We're no longer looking for just average. We're looking for a school that prepares student for life beyond the borders of Canaryville. To be perfectly honest, in the past we haven’t gotten that," he said.
For others, it'll be a brand-new experience.
"We do have some young parents that are coming on board, which means they don’t have a whole lot of experience. But they do have a lot of expectations, and I think that’s good for the school in general," Campbell said.
Bill Drew, 66, is a McKinley Park activist just elected as a community representative to the council at Everett Elementary School, 3419 S. Bell Ave. Many of that council's parents and teachers are Spanish speakers.
Drew said many parents and teachers are hoping the school can retain students instead of losing them to charter schools, which would mean losing more money because of the district's "student-based budgeting" system that doles out money to schools based on enrollment.
That's why Drew said he decided to run for the council.
A community organizer and leader of a nascent progressive group, he wants to align the school community with the broader political movements taking place within neighborhood schools to combat school closings and budget cuts.
"Just by the nature of the kind of unity that exists in the immigrant community, they have a lot of potential to do some things," he said, pointing to a recent protest that led to the installation of air conditioning units in the Southwest Side school.
"I think they're looking hopefully that I'm joining them with a different sent of connections," he said.
Here's a look at the unofficial election results, compiled through multiple interviews and snapshots of vote totals posted outside several area schools. CPS has not yet posted the official tallies and a district spokesman said it’s unclear when they would be available.
Armour Elementary, 950 W. 33rd Place
Parent Reps: Krissy Guzman, Maria Ibarra, Guadalupe Perez
Community Reps: Jennifer Lynn Barnett, Joe Trutin
Teacher Reps: Julissa Lopez, Marc Sokolowksi
Staff Rep: Olga Salas
McClellan Elementary, 3527 S. Wallace Ave.
Parent Reps: James Gallas, Katrina Goodman, Josephine Norwood, Melissa Parks, Noribel Rodriguez, Eva Spicka
Community Reps: Ivy Ortiz-Gaston and Maureen Sullivan
Teacher Reps: Michael Khoshaba, Laura Krasny
Staff Rep: Sesi Martin
Holden Elementary, 1104 SW. 31st St.
Parent Reps: Luz Flores, Lily Lin, Lillian Renteria
Community Rep: Celeste Pedziwiatr
Teacher Reps: Mary Murrihy, Lori Phillips, Kimberly Richardson
Staff Reps: Elizabeth Del Valle
Haines Elementary, 247 W. 23rd Place
Parent Reps: Su Jung Cheng, Kazidi Feng, Kun Li, Natasha McClain, John Wiley, YluWen Zhou
Community Reps: June Coutre, Paul Yee
Teacher Reps: Yi Ruan, Takila Savage
Staff Rep: Patricia Ware
Healy Elementary, 3010 S. Parnell Ave.
Parent Reps: Jennifer Macchione, Jillian Mai, Miguel Prieto, John Salzman, Simon Shiu
Community Reps: Americo Calderon, Jie Liu
Teacher Reps: Thomas Higgins, Louis Gaal
Staff Rep: Kelly Hopp
Evergreen Academy Middle School, 3537 S. Paulina Ave.
Parent Reps: Anna Espinosa, Mariselda Garza, Melissa Munoz, Robert Munoz, Ninfa Santillan, Mandi Smith
Community Reps: William Cruz, Suzanne Pletsch
Teacher Reps: Paul Kanelos, Claudia Medrano
Staff Rep: Lucy Duron
Sheridan Math and Science Academy, 533 W. 27st St.
Parent Reps: Sharon Arrigo, Jennie Biggs, Barbara Clemens, Tara Henderson-Delgado, Michael Mancine, Amy Ng
Community Reps: Joe Fratto and Mark Munizz
Teacher Reps: Colleen McCormick, Tricia McGann
Staff Rep: Ruth Fratto
Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center, 3625 S. Hoyne Ave.
Parent Reps: Heather Breems, Mario Diaz, Teresa Jimenez, Griselda Martinez, Maria Ortega.
Community Reps: Manjiri Cabrera
Teacher Reps: Nancy Arredondo, Jo Ann Hermanek
Greene Elementary, 3525 S. Honore St.
Parent Reps: Maria Estrella, Mario Estrella, Christina Hernandez, Karina Macedo, Maria Zuno. A three-way tie between candidates Andrea Aldaba, Martha Alfaro, Martha Arroyo will be resolved in an upcoming lottery.
Community Reps: Alicia Krok, Maria Suarez
Teacher Reps: Gina Burrows, Christopher Lispey, Denise Scott
Everett Elementary, 3419 S. Bell Ave.
Parent Reps: Sandra De la Cruz, Karla Jaramillo, Maria Ramirez, Maria Renteria, Rocio Reyes, Angelica Uribe
Community Reps: Bill Drew and Martha Mendoza
Teacher Reps: Adrienne Dancy, Jennifer Madden, Yevgeniya Rezina
Staff Rep: Angela Duran-Simental, Cecilia Franco
Graham Elementary, 4436 S. Union Ave.
Parent Reps: Megan Bracken, Dawn Brewer, Jacqueline Gibson-Barrett, Donella Hall, Jolene Trentz, Dana Valdez
Community Reps: Adam Campbell and Ray Carey
Teacher Reps: Kathleen Caponera, Deborah Hogan
Staff Rep: Mark Freeman
James Ward Elementary, 2701 S. Shields Ave.
Parent Reps: Micky Choi, Elaine Chow,Winnie Huang, Dianna Kwan, Caili Li, Christopher Rewers
Community Reps: Joyce Hiu and Yanfeng Li
Teacher Reps: Patrick Deneher, Kristen Goetz
Staff Rep: Dorothy Agee Jackson, Leslie Penn
Hendricks Elementary, 4316 S. Princeton Ave
Parent Reps: Debra Aldridge, Rhonda Anderson, Valeria Kelly-Harris, Naumbi Mangun
Community Reps: None
Teacher Reps: Larry Spearman, Rise Thomas, Felicia Williams-Narcisse
Staff Rep: Glenda Jordan
Kelly High School, 4136 S. California Ave.
Parent Reps: Francisco Jimenez, Dawne Martinez, Maria Martinez, Faustina Vargas, Paul Yee, Juan Prieto, Paul Yee
Community Reps: Theresa Mah, Jose Hernandez
Teacher Reps: Joseph Oswald, Carolyn Brown
Staff Rep: Alfredo Gonzalez
Student Rep: Marivi Ocampo
