Carolyn Newberry Schwartz deserves reelection to the District 97 School Board because of her accomplishments during her first term, her knowledge of school finance and because of the energy, enthusiasm and intelligence she brings to her service as a board member.
I served on the Dist. 97 Finance Task Force with Newberry Schwartz and was impressed with her knowledge of district finances and her willingness to listen and to learn from others. Following through on the task force recommendations required discipline, decisiveness and thoughtful attention to the needs of the district’s students. Newberry Schwartz worked hard to bring the district’s expenditures in line with its revenues while keeping the education programs first rate.
Newberry Schwartz and Dan Burke established and co-chair the Dist. 97 Legislative Advocacy Committee. I serve on that committee and again, Newberry Schwartz’s leadership has impressed me. She guided the committee during its formative stages, educating us about district finances and the school board’s decisions. She led a delegation to Springfield to meet with our legislators last May and met with them again at the legislative forum that District 97 and community organizations held last month. She described District 97’s financial condition in clear and understandable terms at a forum on school funding that the committee held in January. Thanks to her leadership, the committee is an effective voice for District 97 and a model for other school districts to follow.
Newberry Schwartz has served Dist, 97 during interesting and difficult times. The state has failed to fund public schools in the amounts that its own studies have shown are necessary. Dist. 97 has had to stretch its dollars as well as join an intergovernmental agreement with the village in order to meet the needs of its students. Newberry Schwartz’s work in school funding, hiring a new superintendent, and successfully concluding negotiations with the teachers’ union are major accomplishments. Her endeavors have earned your vote. Please vote for Carolyn Newberry Schwartz on April 5!
Kathryn S. Nesburg
D97 School Board member, 1985-93
