Ex-Hinsdale D-86 Leader May Run, Says She Was 'Duped'

Darien IL

02 May, 2022

9:49 AM

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DARIEN, IL – Kay Gallo, former president of the Hinsdale High School District 86 board, indicated last week she may run for school board again. In last year's election, Gallo, who left the board in 2017, supported candidates Debbie Levinthal and Terri Walker. Both were elected, along with Peggy James and Jeff Waters. All were newcomers. On many issues, though, Walker has allied herself with the board's holdovers, those whom Gallo criticized before the last election. Gallo, a Clarendon Hills resident, has spoken at most school board meetings since January. In February, she launched a Change.org petition calling for Superintendent Tammy Prentiss' ouster. At Thursday's board meeting, Gallo spent most of her time criticizing Prentiss. But it was her last sentence that stood out. "I'm seriously considering next year's election since I was duped by Terri Walker," she said. A week before last April's election, Gallo wrote a letter to the Hinsdalean newspaper endorsing Walker and Levinthal. At the time, she said the previous 18 months had brought challenges to the district that hurt the delivery of education. "A board of education has control of the narrative, but I believe this board has not communicated in an effective manner," Gallo wrote. "Their dismissive behavior has not given the community any sense of decisions being made with data or with targeted outcomes." She said she "wholeheartedly" supported Walker and Levinthal, saying they would bring data-driven decision-making. Walker and Levinthal campaigned as a team, but have apparently parted ways. Walker was the board's president her first year, with member Erik Held recently taking the helm. Gallo has criticized Prentiss for her involvement in a letter by an anti-racism consultant that labeled Hinsdale as "dangerous." Gallo's online petition against Prentiss has collected 1,500 signatures. Many signed during the height of anti-mask fury in the district. With the state mask mandate gone, that issue has largely faded away. At Thursday's meeting, Gallo denounced the board's consideration of a raise for Prentiss, calling it "utterly outrageous." She accused the superintendent of violating several board policies. The board quietly removed Prentiss' raise from the meeting agenda shortly before the meeting. If Gallo wins next April's election, it would likely mean a majority of board members against Prentiss, whose contract lasts through mid-2024.