There are a lot changes happening in Deerfield these days. Many of these changes are significant and most certainly will improve the lives of many throughout our community.

First, there was the election of two Deerfield residents: Julie Morrison as Illinois State Senator and Brad Schneider as a United States Congressman.

Earlier: 109 Caucus Endorses Board Candidates

Next, we had the announcement of District 109 putting air conditioning in the District 109 schools. Then came the impressive "Middle School Model" format for our middle schools that will go into effect next fall.

Now, we are learning that the Deerfield Public Schools District109 Caucus, the group that endorses candidates for the District 109 Board of Education had 12 new members for this year's Caucus.

And finally, the news that came out this past Friday that the Caucus endorsed four candidates and three of those four are brand new contenders for the Board positions.

We all remember the anger, frustration and strife we felt with the teacher contract negotiations occurring not even a year ago. Certainly, the District was and is not the only District that has gone through struggles such as this over the past year.

But the attitude felt by many residents about our current Board of Education was not a positive one. It is incredibly encouraging to see some new faces join the steps toward becoming new Board members.

The Caucus had all the candidates, seven total, fill out a written application then each candidate went through two rounds of interviews.

The Caucus chose to slate four candidates: Katie Bittner, Scott Kluge, Sari Montgomery and Ron Worth. Worth is the only candidate who currently sits on the Board. Ellen London, Deborah Muller and Michael Rosenbaum, current Board members, are not running for re-election.

The exciting component of the slating of the four candidates by the 109 Caucus is their diversity and also some key similarities. They have slated two men and two women. Their occupations are varied: a special education coordinator, a strategy consultant, a lawyer and an engineer/CEO.

Each of the four vetted candidates has lived in Deerfield for at least seven years. And all of the slated candidates have at least one student in the District schools and therefore has a vested interest in its continuing success and drive for excellence.

There is still a lot we need to learn about these candidates as well as any other candidates that throw their hats into the ring. There are a lot of good things happening at District 109 right now-it is our responsibility to ensure the April 9 election for our new School Board members is an educated one.

The Caucus certainly seems to have taken a step in the right direction.

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