Participating in a school election can be a big deal, and a great learning experience for young students. Learning that the vote was rigged is probably not the lesson that they, or their parents, want them to take away from it.
Unfortunately, that’s a lesson that students at Washington Elementary School, a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) magnet school in California’s Santa Barbra Unified School District, according to reports from the Santa Barbara Independent. It said that the school’s principal, Arielle Curry, admitted in a letter that the she had worked to manipulate the election results and that she made her own child the winner.
Before it reported on that letter, the Santa Barbara Independent reported in an Oct. 5 article that Curry had been put on administrative leave as of Sept. 28, a little over a month into the current school year. District spokesperson Ed Zuchelli described the situation as a “personal matter,” and he said that Executive Director of Elementary Education Denise Alvarado would “oversee daily campus operations to ensure support for students and staff.”
According to the Santa Barbara Independent, Curry has been principal at Washington since 2022. Previously, she had roles as Santa Barbara Junior High’s principal and assistant principal at Washington and Franklin Elementary schools. Per an interview with Curry in The Condor Press, she also had experience as a special education teacher.
At the time its Oct. 5 article was published, the Santa Barbara Independent said that it had received messages in support of Curry from members of the Washington Elementary school community. By the time it reported on her letter of admission in an Oct. 9 article, the outlet reported that parents and teachers at the school were “outraged,” in emails it received.
Around 200 fourth, fifth and sixth graders voted in the election, according to the outlet.
“I led deliberations after the student votes were tallied that resulted in overriding the outcome of two positions,” Curry reportedly said in her letter. She apologized for “allowing this practice to persist.”
John Becchio, assistant superintendent for Human Resources of the district, said that the candidate with the most votes is expected to win the election, the Santa Barbara Independent reported.
However, one parent from Washington Elementary and one teacher agreed to meet with a reporter from The Santa Barbara Independent last Friday on condition of anonymity. They told the paper that Curry “walked into a tradition of awarding the election to chosen students,” according to the outlet. Those interviewees also said this wasn’t the first time the practice resulted in nepotism.
Becchio asked that the students’ privacy be guarded “and let the school community move forward with lessons learned,” the Independent said. Members of student government at Washington Elementary are allowed to leave class to attend meetings and the president gets to make a speech at the end of the year.
Curry said in her letter that the election process “lacks transparency and fairness,” and she said she would lead an effort to change the process. Per the Oct. 9 report from the Independent, it is not clear whether the officers selected this year would remain the same or of they would be the students who received the most votes.
According to documents in a school district board meeting agenda for this Tuesday, Curry is on the list of Administrative Hearing Panel Members for the 2026-27 school year.
