The New Trier High School Caucus has endorsed one incumbent and two others with school experience ahead of next April’s school board election.
The Caucus has announced its support for Jean Hahn, the school board’s current vice president, in her quest for a second four-year term. The Caucus is also backing Courtney McDonough and Sally Pofcher for the two open seats on the seven-member school board.
Heather Oliver, a Caucus spokeswoman, said there were six applicants for the three spots on the school board opening up in 2023.
Hahn, who lives in Glencoe, was elected in 2019. She is an immigration staff attorney with the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic and previously served on the Glencoe District 35 school board.
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She wrote in an email that she is excited for the work ahead starting in 2023 for the school board.
“Most notably, the board will continue to work alongside the Administration, staff and community to cultivate an educational environment in which every New Trier student feels they belong,” Hahn said. “To realize our objective, the board will pursue a wide range of initiatives that currently are at various stages of evolution: Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate, Critical Thinking and Civil Discourse, Restorative Practices (Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Proud), student-facilitated Monthly Recognition Programming and School Safety and Security.”
McDonough of Winnetka is a member of the New Trier Parent Association. Professionally, she was the director of education at Northbrook’s Compass Health.
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McDonough believes two of the most important issues facing the school board is a need for continued focus on mental health and the implementation of the framework of the school’s strategic New Trier 2030 plan by setting annual goals and evaluating progress against those goals.
“I would like to be a part of an organization that partners with the school and community to ensure that New Trier is in the best position to cultivate lifelong learners with the necessary skills to lead meaningful, compassionate, and impactful lives,” she wrote.
Pofcher, who resides in Wilmette, also served on the New Trier Parent Association and was a member of the 2030 Strategic Planning Committee. She is the board chair and former CEO of Hanna Anderson, the children’s apparel company.
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Like McDonough, she spoke of the need for addressing student’s mental health as one of the reasons she is running for the school board.
“The superintendent and administration of the school will be making active choices to prepare students to inquire and engage in exploration topics both academic and humanistic, while grappling with approaches to rising mental health challenges in the teen population and keeping the school safe from both infectious disease and potential other forms of violence,” Pofcher wrote. “More proximately, there are likely near-medium term economic pressures that will weigh on some community and faculty members (as we weather this economic cycle), building upgrades to complete as part of the 15-year plant upgrade plan, and contracts to renew.”
The Caucus endorsements come following incumbent’s Brad McLane decision not to seek a second term.
“Serving on the New Trier board was a wonderful opportunity but there are those who are better prepared to look ahead to the future of the school,” McLane said. “I feel quite accomplished with our work on the strategic plan, the east wing academic and athletic addition (at the Winnetka campus), and our ability to navigate the challenging world of the pandemic. It is perfect timing to hand the board reins to someone from the next generation.”
Also leaving the school board is Cathleen Albrecht who is stepping down after serving the traditional two terms.
Both the Caucus-backed candidates and any possible independent challengers face a Dec. 19 deadline to file enough signatures to get on the ballot for the April 2023 municipal election, according to the Cook County Clerk’s website.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
