Letter to the Editor: Support 109 Caucus Candidates

Do you think it matters who gets elected to a 109 Board of Education seat in April 9? Just imagine this: It’s 2016, and you wake up to the headline “Four DPS 109 Schools on Academic Probation; District Finances Zapped.” So yes, the names that you check off for the four open seats on the District 109 Board on April 9 are critical. 

This is why I urge you to vote for Sari Montgomery, Katie Bittner, Ron Worth, and Scott Kluge on Tuesday, April 9. Of the eight candidates, vetted and interviewed over a two-day period, the Deerfield Public Schools 109 Caucus, composed of 19 community members, voted to endorse these four. 

A lawyer, teacher, entrepreneur, and strategist, these four outstanding candidates share many of the values of our community when it comes to our schools. They are fiscally conscious and academically focused, with a dose of North Shore savoir-faire and a true passion for educating our children. Each would bring a unique perspective and a dynamic skill set to the Board. 

Sari Montgomery is an attorney focusing on legal ethics and has three children currently in DPS 109 schools. Through her children, she has also dealt with nearly all aspects of the district’s education services, including gifted education, special education, and differentiation services in the regular curriculum. She has attended numerous board meetings, volunteered in classrooms and PTOs, and served on the 109 Caucus. She also participated in the selection process for Caruso’s principal and the new superintendent. 

Katie Bittner is a former special education teacher and administrator, who currently works for Waukegan Public Schools as an Individualized Education Program Facilitator placing special education students. She has two children in DPS 109 schools. During the teacher contract negotiations last year, Bittner co-founded an organization to address parents’ questions and concerns. A participant in District 109’s Learning in a Digital Age Study Group, Bittner has also volunteered extensively for Caruso’s PTO and provided feedback in the superintendent search. 

Ron Worth was appointed to the Board in January 2011 to fill a vacant seat and is seeking his first full-term. A founder of Deerfield-based FlashCut CNC, an engineering and robotics company, he has spent 20 years as a CEO and has four children all of whom attend or attended 109 schools. Before joining the Board, Worth was also a member of the district’s 21st century skills and the technology task forces. He has continued his interest in technology and science on the Board, serving on its policy and technology committees. 

Scott Kluge is managing director at Nexus Advisors, a strategy consulting firm in Chicago. He has three children in the district. A leader of the Deerfield Education Foundation, he is also Walden Elementary School’s PTO liaison to the Board. In the past two years, he has served on the district’s strategic planning and monitoring committees, sat on a committee that provided input for the recently concluded superintendent search, and frequently volunteered in his children’s classrooms. 

Our district faces some exciting, but challenging, times. Our new superintendent will start this summer. We have just been through a very contentious, but ultimately successful, teacher contract negotiation, and another will take place soon. The district will start a $15.4 million air conditioning installation in our schools this summer, and many of the dated buildings are in need of repairs. Plans are being discussed to offer all-day kindergarten, and schools are implementing the Common Core State Standards. Additionally, Illinois’ pension funding crisis—the worst in the nation—could eventually have a significant impact on our district’s finances. 

It is especially critical that we have capable and forward-thinking members sitting our Board, able to support the mission of our schools, to educate our children, and to positively manage school finances. Our schools are a major reason why Deerfield is such a vital and attractive community to many and why our property values remain high. 

These four are the best candidates for our School Board and our children. Their passion and their dedication shone through in their interviews—and should leave no doubt about for whom you should vote. 

Please join me in voting for Sari, Katie, Ron, and Scott to ensure our children’s future and ongoing vitality of our schools and our community. 

O’Neal Miller

Chair, DPS 109 Caucus