This is not a debate. It will only show candidates position on different positions and questions.

What time will the School Boards debate?

Many thanks to the LWV and Patch for sponsoring this excellent opportunity to get to know your candidates.

See you there!

Samantha Stolberg
www.facebook.com/StolbergforNSSD112

As a current delegate of the 2013 District 112 Caucus I can say without a doubt that Samantha Stolberg is more than qualified to be elected to the 112 school board. Her background with a Masters degree in Education, taught in the Chicago Schools, and history with 112 schools is something we really need as 112 goes thru these troubled times. This future board will have to decide which schools to close and what to do with current programs. Samantha's knowledge of 112 and education background makes her more than qualified to serve on the school board. As a current caucus delegate I urge you to vote for Samantha Stolberg !!

Just a reminder, early voting starts March 25th, don't wait until the last minute

Mr Struck:
As a first time caucus delegate its easy to see how flawed the caucus system is. Delegates are suppose to come in with open minds,, not so at this caucus. Two thirds of 55 people is hardly represenative of HP thinking especially since so many votes are takin and most just voted to go home if they had not already gone home before the last vote. The resuly of this is the 4 people they chose have also decided not to run as a slate, that should tell you something

It is unfortunate when a forum such as the Patch is used to disseminate inaccuracies and innuendo. But profound respect for the fractious give and take of public discourse counsels against stooping to that level.

The simple fact remains that after hours of debate, a 2/3's majority of a broad cross-section of residents of Highland Park and Highwood -- who were there because of their commitment to public education; their embrace of the glorious diversity of our community; and their shared desire for the growth, development and enrichment of our children -- concurred that the most highly qualified members of our community willing to sacrifice their time, privacy, and energy to serve on the District 112 School Board are Jane Solmor Mordini, Karla Livney, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz.

I, for one, am proud of what we accomplished as a Caucus. I trust that I speak for the vast majority of Caucus delegates in stating that if the Caucus had reached a different outcome, we would have felt honor bound to respect and support the consensus reached by a super-majority of our fellow Caucus delegates.

When you go to the polls, please remember that 2/3's of a volunteer group of your peers and fellow community members consisting of 5 representatives from each school in District 112, agree that the most highly qualified candidates for School Board are Jane Solmor Mordini, Karla Livney, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz.

I am glad you are proud of this accomplishment as you say, I am not, and obviously neither are the four candidates picked as they have decided not to to run as a slate. Without a doubt Samantha Stolberg is highly qualified to be a member of the next 112 School Board and I ask everyone to make sure she is one of the four voted for....

Samantha Stolberg was not endorsed by the Caucus! Just sayin......

For some reason there is always resistance to having a teacher on the board of education. Why, I have no clue. Maybe some people think they will give away the store during the next contract negotiations or some such nonsense. I see that 109 has endorsed a teacher and I think that's great. They will provide invaluable insight as a board member.

Having a teacher on the board is a great thing because we're the only people who really know what's going on in the schools.

Totall agree Joe!

Vote for Samantha

Need spell check badly

Spell check is the least of your problems. The caucus slated Jane Mordini, Karla Livney, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz. It is completely improper for you to be endorsing anyone else. Do whatever you wish in privacy of the voting booth, but you are the type of individual I would never want on a committee, caucus etc. You need to be supporting the concensus and if you disagree then keep it to yourself. This is shameful if you were indeed a caucus delegate. Thankfully Daniel Struck attempted to enlighten us.

Lucy who? Why not use your real name. What do you know about the Caucus. If you were not a delegate then you have no right to tell anyone what to do. Are you saying that everyone should agree with who the Caucus picks when the Caucus picks can't even agree with themselves to run as a slate. Ms Lucy why don't you explain that as you seem to know it all. I will ask you again why are the 4 Caucus picks not running as a slate? Could it be because three of them feel the fourth should never have been picked? From what I heard the Caucus was nothing except a political free for all with a lot of caucus delegates coming in as a delegation with pre determined candidates. I also heard this delegation was determined to keep one candidate from being picked and they got their wish!

I participated in the prior two district 112 caucuses and found it to be an outstanding process for vetting candidates. I was not on the current caucus but am happy to see that I agree with their choices.

Why do you think Daniel Struck had to explain the caucus findings in such detail? It is because Lee Rosenberg is causing confusion. You Mr.Jones misunderstand me.It is not right for a member of any committee, board, caucus, whatever to promote his/her opinion after a vote was taken as a group. I never claimed to know it all but I know about committees and boards and caucuses because I have served on may of them. Additionally, what do you mean that the caucus members are not running as a a slate? These 4 candidates were slated: Tatelli,Mordini,Livney and Metz. Whether they choose to put their names on a sign together is totally their choice. Maybe one of them did not have the resources for that type of advertising? Maybe one member did not want to campaign as hard? Many voters are not 100% informed of the issues and will vote the slate which I repeat is Tatelli, Mordini,Livney, and Metz!

As usual Lucy you do not have the facts. There is no confusion. Caucus candidates in the past have always run as a slate. Finances have nothing to do with it. They are not running as a slate this year because three of the candidates did not want to be associated with the fourth. Also I have been a member of past caucus's and the only responsibility I had was not to talk about the voting process and he has not done that

Actually as one of the board members of the caucus for this round and a member of the last 112 caucus as well, Larry is mistaken. The obligation of every member of the caucus, whether voting or alternate, is that they cannot publicly promote any candidate outside the slated caucus. They can vote for whomever they want, but they cannot stand in public opposition to the decisions of the caucus. So Lee is violating his obligations as a member of the board, something no one else did either in the last caucus or this one. Almost all members of the caucus approached the selection process with thoughtful dialogue and open minds. Part of a collective decision process means we don't each get our way--it is a decision that may not always match our personal wishes but we have, by being members, agreed to live by the decision process of the caucus. If that is not one's intentions, then just work to support the candidate of your choice and leave the caucus to others to work on.

As to having the slate run together or separately, there is no obligation or even concern with the candidates decision. They seek caucus endorsement, because it means they have been vetted by a large hand-selected group of representatives of every school in district 112. What they gain is that stamp of endorsement, not the obligation or need to run with other names on their signs or promotional materials.

Carol: Where does it state that caucus members have an "obligation" not to publicly promote a candidate not slated? Why would there be such a rule? Don't like the "collective decision" process if it leads to silencing a person's right to back a candidate. Sounds like the old Soviet Union or China.

The point of a community caucus is for a group of committed community members to come together to question and interview the candidates and then to reach a consensus about which candidates are most highly qualified to serve the public in the relevant office. It is a shared enterprise in which members of the community commit to abide by the assessment reached by their fellow caucus members.

After considerable good faith debate, the NSSD 112 Caucus determined that the four candidates most highly qualified to serve on the Board are Karla Livney, Jane Mordini, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz.

It is unfortunate when a forum such as the Patch is used to spread misinformation, innuendo, and sour grapes.

No sour grapes here. Personally , I don't know any of the candidates. I just don't like the process, especially when Carol states that" most " caucus member were openminded. I think it would have been better to have meetings open to the public where candidates responded to questions and gave their opinion on issues. No need for a slate picked by mostly open minded people. Another question, how did Carol determine who was open minded and who was not? And still no answer about obligations of caucus members. Where did Carol get that from? Why would you serve if you can't later take part in the election?

One is required to "commit to abide: by the decisions. Dangerous if you ask me. Not misinformation, innuendo or sour grapes, Mr. Struck.

The NSSD 112 caucus is composed of volunteers selected by their respective PTO's representing every school in the District. The delegates spent considerable time and effort working to formulate questions to submit to the candidates about the issues facing the District and its students. After reviewing the responses of the candidates, the Caucus interviews and asks questions of the candidates. By the way these meetings are announced and open. Only after all this, does the NSSD 112 caucus go into closed session to deliberate about which of any of the candidates do 2/3's of the delegates agree are highly qualified to serve. As part of this shared enterprise, we all agreed to abide by the determinations reached by 2/3's of our fellow delegates. This is not authoritarian, it is working together as a community, non-partisan caucus and having respect for our fellow delegates and the caucus process.

If you are interested in this process, we gather together again in two years. In the meantime, 2/3's of the voting delegates agreed that the most highly qualified candidates for NSSD 112 School Board are Karla Livney, Jane Mordini, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz. Please remember to vote.

I would never want to be part of a caucus that would prevent me from expressing my views afterwards. I find it offensive that you try to silence someone (Lee) who supports a non caucus slated candidate whether Lee was a caucus member or not. Let him speak. Also, does your mostly open minded caucus release the vote totals for all candidates? If the 5th candidate lost by a vote or two the slate endorsement would not mean much. If a candidate got little support that might be something useful to know.
You keep stating that their is an obligation to stand by the slate. Where is that stated? Is there some kind of by-laws?

Not that it matters is was Bob who supports a non slate candidate, not Lee.

If this is the same Daniel Struck as you we are all in troouble:

http://highlandpark.suntimes.com/news/10477166-418/police-blotter.html
How did that case get resolved. If your head of our school caucus your charcter counts right?

Yes, I got into an argument and lost my temper with someone who was speeding on my street. And this is the Thru the Looking Glass quality of the bullying, ad hominem attacks, obfuscation, and fallacious logic that some seem to believe stands as public discourse. Enjoy your continued trolling.

When the readers of this forum who have decent and honorable intentions go to vote, I hope they keep in mind the outstanding and dedicated candidates endorsed by the NSSD 112 Caucus: Karla Livney, Jane Mordini, Paul Tatelli, and Howard Metz.

Mr. Struck: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used aginst you in a court of law and public opinion. Anger management issues?

Citizens of Highland Park: We can do much better than Daniel Struck leading our school caucus.

How did the case get resolved? We have a right to know who are leaders are and what their character is. Don't we?

Daniel.. Your attempted character assassination of Dan Struck is pathetic. I am aware of the incident that you so maliciously brought up. Someone speeding down the street and talking on the phone ran through the stop sign and nearly ran over Dan's son. The driver was cited and despite what the link says, Dan Struck was not arrested. Maybe you should post your last name so we can do a little digging into your past?

Character assassinattion implies that my statements were not true. They were.
My nameis Drew Peterson and I want to be your next head of the 112 School Caucus.
And I know how the sun times lies and made up that Danny boy was not arrested. Sun-times should be held accountable for falsely accusing mr. struck.

. Carol Summerfield is 100% correct and I could not have stated things better myself!
Daniel- if you do not believe in the caucus as a vetting body then work to change it. A few years ago, there was a school board election without a caucus. That election didn't turn out so well, but I digress. And please leave Daniel Struck alone. You are hijacking a discussion that was initially started by Lee Rosenberg! ( I am not sure why his name has been changed to Bob Goldber. But I know that my initial response was to Lee Rosenberg. He was the caucus delegate promoting a non endorsed candidate.) Anyway, Daniel, stop your trolling and work for change. "Campaign Don't Complain". And Larry Jones is asking for my last name! LOL............

What happened in the election that did not work out because the caucus was not involved. Did Daniel Struck not get elected?

What became of the 112 caucus this year? So many questions.

Since the resurgence of the Nssd112 Caucus in 2008, the endorsed candidates always ran as a slate: So why are they not running as a slate for this election? Is it possible that the endorsed candidates are not pleased with the results?

Do you know who the Caucus delegates are? Is there a published list of Caucus delegates? How do you know those members represent you?
Was the 2/3 representation of 53 voting delegates really an adequate cross section of the over 24,000 registered voters in Highland Park and Highwood? Or were some school DELEGATIONS heavily stacked with special interest members, or worse PTA President and Executive Board members of one school with agendas of their own, including a Caucus board member, who came in with their minds already made up with who they wanted as the four endorsed candidates. By the way they succeded in their efforts!!!

Do your own homework and find what the candidates stand for. Ask your own questions and you will get your own answers

Agree with you Larry. I got no answer to my questions? What was the vote total for each candidate? Which rule , document, bylaw or anything similar requires a caucus member to back the slate and no other candidate? No one from the caucus wants to answer these questions.

So I have been enlightened! Lee Rosenberg removed his name from these posts because a caucus member should not be endorsing a candidate who was not slated by the caucus! I have been saying that from the beginning! He was very wrong to be doing that.
Vote for whomever you wish to vote for. But many voters will go to the polls and vote the slate! This discussion is over for me. I plan to now devote my time to promoting the endorsed candidates. Flyers whatever.. Lawn signs are only one way to get votes.

Lucy, you have not been enlightened, I did not remove my name. And you are also wrong about who I can or can not endorse as I have re read the caucus rules and regulations, which I am sure you have not read. As you gave a sarcastic (lol) when I asked you to use your real name I will assume you are part of the OT delegation

Lee, you can say or endorse anybody you want. This is America not Iran. Where did you find the rules and regulations for the caucus? I'd like to read them. Mr. Struck and his caucus friends won't answer my questions about caucus rules.

Daniel"
As the rules and regulations are public knowledge I am sure Mr. Struck would be glad to forward them to you as he is the new Caucus Chairman. I am sure that he will be more than happy to respond to your request.

Sure, he seems to have more time for stopping speeders.

Where did the caucus get the money to run a ad in todays HP News and isn't it interesting that the four of them are not running as a slate because three of them did not want to be associated with the fourth. Please tell me which candidate did they want left out?

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW FOR SAMANTHA STOLBERG

I am hoping that the right people are still following this blog. This is directed to Carol Summerfield, Dist112 Caucus Board member along with a board member of Oak Terace PTA., and also to the President of the Oak Terrace PTA who also was a caucus delegate. You and your Oak Terrace delegation came into the caucus without a open mind. Your one ambition was to make sure that Samantha Stolberg was not endorsed by the caucus and your Oak Terrace member Paul Tatilli got the endorsement. You succeeded and Paul is a good man and would have made a decent board member. It was your misfortune that Samantha won and Paul for the second time in a row lost. Maybe next time there is a caucus you will play the game by the rules

ARTICLE II

PURPOSE, OBJECTS, DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS

Section 1. Purpose and Objectives The purpose and objects of the Caucus are:

1.1 To exchange ideas and to facilitate concerted action on matters of mutual educational and community interest in the District.

1.2 To find, endorse and support, to the conclusion of the election, qualified candidates for the Board.

1.3 To endeavor to obtain opinions from community members that reside in all geographic school boundaries in the District.

Section 2. Duties and Obligations It is the duty and obligation of the Caucus to:

2.1 Seek out qualified candidates for the Board and in doing so endeavor to endorse Candidates who represent all the different interests within the community.

2.2 Endorse and support one qualified candidate for each Board vacancy. The Caucus may, however, choose to endorse fewer Candidates than the number of vacancies to be filled.

2.3 Endeavor to obtain the necessary signatures and set up the procedure to file petitions for the endorsed Candidates.

2.4 Publicize the qualifications of its endorsed Candidates by any means the Caucus members deem appropriate.

2.5 Take such steps as they may deem appropriate, and which are consistent with the provisions of these By-Laws, to support its endorsed Candidates.

2.6 Keep all proceedings, deliberations, and votes during the Endorsement Meeting strictly confidential.

If you were on the caucus then perhaps you remember signing this
NORTH SHORE SCHOOL DISTRICT 112 CAUCUS

CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT

I, , a member of the 2012 North Shore School District 112 Caucus, hereby agree that all discussions, votes and any other matters pertaining to the slating of candidates that take place during the Caucus Interview/Endorsement meeting(s) of December 1, 2012 will be held in the strictest confidence.

Jeez, Carol that's really interesting