Gabriela Biro will represent the district that includes Gentilly, New Orleans East and parts of the 9th Ward on New Orleans’ school board.
The hairdresser and activist beat Eric “Doc” Jones with 55% of the vote in Saturday’s runoff.
Jones was heavily endorsed but faced scrutiny in recent weeks after multiple news outlets flagged inconsistencies in his resume. Biro, who was new to politics, had the backing of the local teachers' union.
Biro said she became interested in running for office after giving birth to her son in 2022.
"That really was a galvanizing force for me, that I really needed to make a change in my community," she said in an interview before the runoff. "Our village has been sold out to corporations, and I want to fight that."
Biro supports the school board's decision to run a school directly this year, ending the city's all-charter system.
As a hairstylist, she said her clients often vent about the city's education system and feel let down by school leaders who are accountable to non-elected charter boards, not parents.
"Their children's needs are not being met," Biro said. "If they have things like special needs, an IEP, the schools are not honoring those."
She supports the district running more schools so that parents have another option.
All seven spots on the city's school board were up for reelection. Only two were contested, and just one went to a runoff. All of the candidates were Democrats.
Biro will replace Ethan Ashley on the board in January. Ashley did not run for reelection.
Biro expects to stand out on the board. She points to her non-traditional resume — and blue hair.
She billed herself as a grassroots candidate and said she doesn't plan to get involved in behind-the-scenes politicking.
"I have friends, and I have acquaintances, that's it," adding that she only received individual donations and contributions from the local teachers union.
"I'm beholden to working people," Biro said. "I think a lot of people on the school board don't have that background, so I will be approaching things differently."
