109 Caucus Endorses Board Candidates

One incumbent and three newcomers were endorsed by the DPS 109 Caucus for the four positions on the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 Board of Education before the voters in the April 9 election, according to a release from the caucus.

Current Board member Ron Worth was endorsed along with Katie Bittner, Scott Kluge and Sari Montgomery. Current Board President Ellen London along with members Michael Rosenbaum and Deborah Muller are not candidates for reelection.

Earlier: 109 Parents Ask Delay of Goier Replacement

Worth, Bittner, Kluge and Montgomery were interviewed twice by 19 of the 20 caucus members who voted Thursday night. Also appearing before the caucus for consideration were Jodi Shapira, Richard Heller and Joel Kagan.

“They are a diverse set of candidates—a lawyer and legal instructor, a strategy consultant, an engineer and business owner, and an education administrator and teacher—all of whom we believe will add value to the Board with their skill sets and backgrounds,” Caucus Chair O’Neal Miller said in the release.

Miller believes the increase in interest among community members in the wake of contract negotiations last school year between the District and the Deerfield Education Association Teachers’ Union heightened interest. There were 12 new Caucus members out of a total of 20.

Another incident that upped citizen interest was the retirement of Superintendent Renee Goier. Petitions were passed by some of the candidates asking the hiring of a new superintendent be delayed until a new Board was seated. 

These candidates as well as anyone else who wishes to seek one of the four spots must submit nominating petitions between Dec. 17 and 24.

Katie Bittner is a special education coordinator for the Waukegan Public Schools and a former teacher, She is an eight-year Deerfield resident and has two children in District schools. 

Kluge is a strategy consultant with marketing and advertising experience. He has three children in the elementary or middle schools. He has lived in the Village for seven.

Montgomery also has three children in District schools and is a lawyer. She has lived in Riverwoods for eight years.

Worth is running for his first full term after being appointed to complete the term of the Hon. Mark Levitt. Levitt was elected a judge of the Circuit Court of Lake County in 2010.  Worth is an engineer and founder of the company he runs. A 10-year resident of Deerfield, Worth has four children. One is currently a District student.

For complete school news, follow Patch on Twitter and Facebook.