The New Trier School Board (NTSB) Caucus plans to vote on Oct. 23 on who to endorse for the upcoming New Trier High School Board of Education election. 

The seats of Board Vice President Sally Tomlinson and board members Kimberly Alcantara, Avik Das, and Keith Dronen (each of whom the caucus endorsed for the 2021 election) are on the ballot in the April 2025 Consolidated General Election. Currently serving in their first term, Alcantara, Das, and Tomlinson said via email that they are running for reelection and seeking the caucus’ endorsement, whereas Dronen (two terms) is not running for reelection. 

The non-partisan caucus has played an active role in the North Shore since 1954, assembling every two years to interview, vet, and endorse candidates for the board. Today, its 47 volunteer delegates and two student delegates selected by the New Trier Student Council engage in a seven-week process from early September to late October to find and endorse candidates for the board who are open-minded and not focused on a single issue. The caucus-endorsed candidates typically get elected. 

Glencoe District 35 delegate Jeff Heftman, who serves as rules committee chair, said delegates do not need to have students currently at New Trier to join.

“[A delegate has] a genuine interest in wanting to give back and participate in the community, understanding how important quality publication education is to our communities,” Heftman said. 

Caucus Vice Chair and Wilmette District 39 delegate Dan O’Brien said that when delegates meet every two years, many do not know each other but work to create a fair, open process. 

“It always impresses me how it comes together nicely and everyone takes serving on the caucus very seriously,” O’Brien said.

The delegates’ work centers around interviewing applicants. Interviews took place on Oct. 1, Oct. 8, and Oct. 10 this year, lasting about 45 minutes each. When the delegates vote on Oct. 23 on who to endorse, each delegate can provide input on applicants after considering their interview, resume, and application and contacting their references. 

O’Brien would not specify the number of applicants this year but said there were more than the number of board seats up for election—a common occurrence. 

Junior Catherine Ji, a student delegate and Student Council secretary, said she wants board members who are collaborative, driven, and ambitious. 

“A lot of the questions that we’re posing [are] trying to get their personality out,” Ji said.  

Board President Jean Hahn and Superintendent Dr. Paul Sally spoke to the caucus on Sept. 4 and Sept. 11, respectively, about the needed qualities in a board member and the pressing issues the board must tackle. Heftman said the delegates are not experts, so the insight from school officials helps them understand the month-to-month challenges board members face. 

Publicity Chair and Sunset Ridge District 29 delegate Amanda Alpert Knight said the next board is responsible for helping onboard the new superintendent, who the board will announce at the November board meeting. 

Senior and student delegate Nathan Heftman, who is the son of Jeff Heftman, said an important aspect of the school board’s work is building a “good future for the New Trier community,” especially as Sally nears retirement.

“Dr. Sally has done a really good job so far guiding us there, which is really great,” Heftman said.

O’Brien said revisions to the comprehensive, long-term strategic plan, New Trier 2030, and further addressing student mental health are other potential issues facing the board. 

Delegates can serve two election cycles unless the caucus appoints them to an executive position (chair, vice chair, or secretary) for the succeeding caucus, in which case they stay for a third cycle. The sender district caucuses select delegates. Wilmette District 39 and Avoca District 37 do not have caucuses, meaning sender district chairs choose delegates to represent those areas.

O’Brien said more than half of the delegates are new each election cycle, allowing for fresh ideas. 

Ji has enjoyed hearing other perspectives. 

“It’s honestly really interesting hearing what New Trier from a parental perspective is, and all the adults there are super friendly,” Ji said. “ They’re not weirded out with two kids being there.”

Ji said her caucus service has opened her eyes to the relationship between the board and administration.

“I feel like the school board isn’t as directly affiliated with student voices as admin is,” Ji said, referencing how the administration takes Student Council proposals to the board.

She said the system makes sense, though, as the administration is with students more than the board. 

Nathan Heftman agrees with Ji but also wants board members to keep students in mind, a value central to his work as a Student Council member. 

“When someone has not thought of the student perspective, it can often be jarring and also noticeable,” he said.

Alpert Knight, who served on the Sunset Ridge District 29 Board of Education, joined the NTSB Caucus to continue serving her community. She said her role as a delegate is hard and is grateful for everyone who sought the caucus’ endorsement, as the role of a volunteer board member is “harder” and “painful.” 

“We put in these hours for a few weeks, and then they go and do it for four years,” Alpert Knight said.