Sari Montgomery: Candidate For Deerfield School District 109

DEERFIELD, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Deerfield Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education on Election Day. They include two incumbents (Andrew Morrison and Sari Montgomery) and six challengers (Dana Blumberg, James D’Angelo, Valarie Hays, Kelly Jakymiw, Jonathan Silver and Maureen G. Wener). Current trustees Kate Bittner and Scott Kluge are not running for reelection.

Deerfield Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Sari Montgomery

Age (as of election day)

51

Town/city of residence

Riverwoods

School district

DPS 109

Family

My husband, Mike, and I have three children, all of whom attended District 109 Schools. Jacob is a senior at Boston University, Evan is a sophomore at DePaul, and Maggie is a junior at DHS.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago, and my JD from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law

Occupation

I have been an attorney for 26 years. In my legal ethics practice, I represent lawyers and judges in professional disciplinary matters, and consult with lawyers, law firms, government agencies, and law related businesses regarding legal ethics issues.

Campaign website

https://sariford109.org/

Previous or current elected or appointed office

Board Member, Deerfield Public Schools District 109 (2013-Present)

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Right now, the single most pressing issue facing our District is safely navigating the later stages of the pandemic, and helping our students and families recover academically and socially/emotionally. We have made great strides in re-opening our schools to full in-person instruction, and now we must turn our attention to what school will look like in the Fall, and how we can identify and address the academic and social-emotional gaps that have inevitably resulted from this unprecedented school year. I am committed to working with the new Superintendent, new Board members, parents and community members to ensure that our schools continue to provide the best possible educational experience for every student.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Having served on the Board for nearly eight years, I have by far the most experience of any of the candidates running for the Board this election cycle. I am well-versed in all aspects of the District's operations, as well as its COVID-19 response. In addition, I am one of four candidates endorsed by the DPS 109 Caucus through a rigorous application and interview vetting process. I believe that the experience and stability that I can bring during this time of transition will be extremely beneficial to the District moving forward.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district?

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

In addition to ensuring a smooth transition to the new superintendent and welcoming new Board members, fiscal responsibility is critical to ensuring that our children continue to receive the best possible educational opportunities. The Board is responsible to the entire community, most of whom do not have children in the schools, for effectively and efficiently managing its investment in its most important resource. Having chaired the Board's Finance Committee for four years, I understand the complexities of managing a $55 million annual budget, the tax levy and audit processes, and the role that long term financial projections play, and am well equipped to continue the District's record of sound fiscal management which has benefitted our District for the past fifteen years.

I will also work to continue to improve communication between the Board and the Community. I believe it is important for the community to have opportunities to interact with the Board outside of formal meetings, such as holding town halls which is much more conducive to having a dialogue. I will also continue to advocate for a collaborative decision-making process which includes all stakeholders so that all voices—students, parents, staff, administration, and community, are heard.

It is also critical to effectively plan, execute and monitor curricular and programmatic changes. I will advocate that the Board continue to monitor the data and gather feedback from all stakeholders to ensure we are achieving the intended results of all of our initiatives and that we are best meeting the needs of all students.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Prior to the pandemic, during my tenure on the Board, five out of our six schools were designated Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. We have experienced consistent improvements in academic achievement and continued our focus on improving our social emotional curriculum. We have completed over $40 million in capital improvements without referendum, including air conditioning, science labs, LMC renovations, art and music renovations, and renovation of both middle school cafeterias, while abating over $4.5 million in property taxes by paying debt service through operating funds. We also reduced and eliminated many annual fees charged to families, including our transition to tuition-free, full-day Kindergarten--eliminating tuition two years ahead of schedule. I am also proud that we recently established a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee to help better educate our students about racial equity issues and to create a more inclusive community.

Since the pandemic, the demands of serving on the Board have increased exponentially and the gravity of the decisions we have had to make weigh heavily on all of us. Although the community has, at times, been divided over the decisions we have made, I have done my best to make those decisions based on the best information and data we have had at any given time, rather than based on pressure from any particular constituency, while always keeping the health and safety of our staff and students as the highest priority.

All of these experiences evidence my commitment to the District and my ability to continue to handle the demands of serving on the Board, under even the most critical and high pressure circumstances

Why should voters trust you?

I have built my entire 26-year legal career on the foundation of the ethical practice of law. As someone who was a former ethics prosecutor, who now makes my living advising lawyers, judges, bar applicants, law firms, government entities and law related businesses on ethical practices, and who lectures extensively on ethics matters, I hold myself to the highest ethical standards in all aspects of my life. I believe that my record on the Board shows that I have brought those standards to bear in my service to District 109, and I am committed to continuing to act solely in the best interests of the stakeholders in our School District.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success

If I am fortunate enough to win a third term, my primary goal will be to assist the Board and Administration in navigating the later stages of the pandemic. My Board and Task Force experience make me the most qualified candidate to effectively accomplish this and to ensure a smooth transition into a post-COVID era for our District.

In addition, re-establishing communication norms between the Board and the community and unifying the District and community after the divisions we have experienced over the past year would be another accomplishment by which I would measure the success of my term in office.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Responsible handling of taxpayer dollars is one of the Board's most important jobs. Seventy percent of the residents in the District do not have children in the schools, but depend on the Board's effective use of funds to maintain the high standards of education we enjoy in this community to benefit our children and preserve property values. I am proud that, since the District's last referendum in 2005, the Board has not only consistently maintained balanced budgets, but has completed over $40 million in capital improvements without referendum, and has abated over $4.5 million in taxes by paying debt service from operating funds.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

I support Black Lives Matter and, like many Americans, was horrified at the deaths of George Floyd and Jacob Blake. While I do not condone violent demonstrations, I can understand the frustration of the Black community and other communities of color at the failure of our country to make meaningful strides in combatting the systemic racism that continues to exist in many aspects of our society.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I am proud that our District recently established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, with representation of students, staff, and community members. This Committee is studying ways that the District can raise awareness of racial equity issues and better incorporate them into our curriculum, and into the everyday lives of our students and our community. While this is a good start, we must continue to build on these efforts to create a more inclusive community.

What are your thoughts on the district’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic? Are you in favor of remote learning, in-person learning or a hybrid of the two? Do you support a mask mandate for students and school staff, or mandatory coronavirus testing for both students and staff?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, our goal as a Board and Administration, has always been to return students to in-person learning as soon as it was safe to do so. I am one of two Board members who has worked very closely with the Interim Superintendents and the Re-Entry Task Force since the summer to guide the District through this crisis. Taking into consideration public health guidance, input from internal and external medical, legal, public health and facility experts, as well as feedback from staff, parents and community members, we have proceeded cautiously, and with the safety of students and staff as the highest priority. We have now adopted extremely robust mitigations, including securing vaccinations for our staff, a mask mandate and mandatory testing for students, which will allow a safe return to full in-person learning. We will also continue to offer a full remote option for those families who choose to keep their children at home.

Although the timing of the return to in-person learning has been a divisive issue in our community, and some may disagree with the Board's actions, I believe that the Board and Administration have made responsible decisions based on the constantly evolving data, research, available information, and the myriad factors unique to our District, during these unprecedented times.

When the vaccine is available to them, do you support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students and staff?

Through our District's first-of-its-kind partnership with Walgreens, 94% of our staff has already been fully vaccinated voluntarily. While I certainly support all medically eligible students to be vaccinated, for legal reasons, we could likely only mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for students if it was required by state law, similar to certain other vaccines.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

The best advice I received, and what I tell myself often, is that you can't please everyone. In light of this truism, I've found that the best approach in making decisions that effect the whole District, is to gather as much information from as many sources as possible, and choose the option that is best for kids. In addition, it is important to listen to, and try to find solutions for, families and constituents who may disagree with the decisions that are made.