NEAR WEST SIDE — Longtime educator Marilou Rebolledo will be the next principal of Andrew Jackson Language Academy, CPS officials announced this week.
After the school's Local School Council failed to agree who to hire as the school's new principal earlier this month, the board voted to kick the decision to CPS leaders in accordance with district rules.
The LSC was previously split in its decision to award a four-year principal contract to either Rebolledo or candidate Ginger Hiltz. Many parents supported Rebolledo, the interim principal at Andrew Jackson. She previously served as Jackson's resident principal, a principal-in-training position, and also taught for years at the school.
In a letter written Wednesday, interim CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz informed LSC members that CPS leaders unanimously decided to select Rebolledo as the school's next contract principal. She will officially start July 1.
"We are confident that Ms. Rebolledo will provide the same quality of leadership that has allowed Andrew Jackson to provide an excellent educational experience to its students for many years," Ruiz wrote.
Andrew Jackson, a lottery-admission school, is one of the toughest for a student to get into and has long posted some of the top test scores in the city.
At a June LSC meeting, the Andrew Jackson Local School Council deadlocked. Six council members voted in favor of appointing Hiltz to the post; two opposed the appointment and two abstained from voting. In a separate vote, three council members voted in favor of Rebolledo, six opposed and one abstained, according to Angela Bryant, council chairwoman.
The council is required to have seven votes to select a candidate.
Hiltz is a teacher who served as resident principal, a principal-in-training post, at Phillip Rogers Elementary School, this school year. She also previously worked at Andrew Jackson. Hiltz was one of three finalists considered for the principal role at at Helen C. Peirce Elementary School in Andersonville, but the school's board ultimately hired another candidate.
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