Parents Care

10/06/2026

🗳️ Voting is open! The Lake Forest Caucus vote closes at 8 p.m. tonight.

Make a plan to stop by, and remind a neighbor.

📍 Gorton Center
400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest
🕛 Today, October 6: Noon–8 p.m.
🪪 Bring your ID.

Registered voters who reside in Lake Forest are eligible. You’ll vote on each proposed candidate individually.

Regardless of your views or whether you agree with Parents Care, your voice deserves to be heard.

10/05/2026

Tomorrow’s Lake Forest Caucus vote: Who we endorse and why.

For this vote, our endorsements are based on one specific consideration: our direct experience with candidates’ willingness to communicate, engage with our questions, and have difficult conversations.

Candidates do not have to agree with Parents Care to earn our endorsement. Responsiveness matters, especially when we disagree.

District 67: Jay Connelly, Mark Pickett, and Kristin Vallaly.

District 115: Kirsten Kohlmeyer, Jennifer Neubauer, and John Noble.

We are not endorsing Monica Yaun. She has received dozens of emails from Parents Care and has never replied to or acknowledged any of them. This describes our experience; we cannot speak for every resident’s interactions with her.

These endorsements recognize responsiveness. They are not a comprehensive assessment of each candidate’s qualifications or record. Every board member will face the same scrutiny, including those we endorse.

Our community deserves school boards willing to listen, explain decisions, and engage with the people they represent. No single organization, including ours, speaks for everyone.

VOTE TOMORROW — Tuesday, October 6

📍 Gorton Center, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest
🕛 Noon–8 p.m.
✅ Registered voters residing in Lake Forest are eligible. Bring your ID.
🗳️ You will vote on each proposed candidate individually.

Regardless of your views or whether you agree with Parents Care, your voice deserves to be heard.

Please share this with a Lake Forest neighbor.

09/29/2026

Why extend Superintendent Montgomery’s contract nearly two years before it expires?

Parents Care has strong reason to believe an early extension is being considered. **No extension has been approved.** But residents deserve answers before a deal is ready for a vote.

Montgomery already receives substantial incentives to stay—with projected annual retention payments of $64,000–$74,000. Meanwhile, questions about his conference travel remain unresolved.

Both boards should explain why an early extension is necessary, publish the complete proposed agreement at least 14 days before a vote, and give residents a meaningful opportunity to weigh in.

**The community should not be the last to know and the first expected to pay.**

Read the full story below. 👇

Parents Care has strong reason to believe an early extension of Superintendent Matthew Montgomery’s contract is being considered. No extension has been approved. We examine the transparency gap, projected compensation and unresolved travel questions—and what both boards should disclose before an...

09/17/2026

News update:

After parents shared LFHS mold concerns, Parents Care contacted District leadership. The next day, LFHS announced closures, remediation and testing. Here is what the District committed to and what questions remain.

09/16/2026

Mold at LFHS: Parents spoke up. The District responded.

Several parents sent Parents Care a Facebook post and photographs raising concerns about suspected mold in a Lake Forest High School classroom.

On September 15, we took those concerns directly to Board Vice President Anne Geraghty Helms, copying Superintendent Matthew Montgomery and Facilities Director Dan Mortensen. We asked what inspections found, what work was done and what supported students returning.

On September 16, Principal Dr. Erin Lenart issued a public update addressing those same issues. The District reports that preliminary testing found elevated mold spore levels in certain spaces and announced:

• Temporary closures and relocation of classrooms and offices.
• Remediation, deep cleaning and work on underlying moisture conditions.
• Further testing and professional clearance before students and staff return.
• Independent quarterly indoor air quality assessments and staff training.

Public answers and specific commitments are progress worth recognizing. Thank you to the parents who brought this forward. Your reports made our inquiry possible. We also thank Dr. Lenart for the detailed public response.

Safe learning and working spaces matter to families and teachers. Maintenance and accountability for public resources matter to taxpayers, too.

The work is not complete. We will keep following up on when the conditions were identified, what families and employees were told, how relevant health needs were considered, and what supports reopening.

Get our email updates through the link in bio or at ParentsCare.org. Share this post with a friend or neighbor in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff.

Have a school concern or firsthand information? Email [email protected].

Sources: Parents Care’s September 15 inquiry and Dr. Lenart’s September 16, 2026 LFHS community update.

09/16/2026

A welcome pause. A win for thoughtful oversight. 💜

At the September 15 D115 Board meeting, the Board tabled the $70,000 environmental storytelling and brand experience proposal for further discussion.

Thank you to Board Member Jenny Zinser for asking for more clarity before voting. Listening, asking substantive questions, and taking time to get answers is exactly the kind of oversight our schools deserve.

And thank you to the Parents Care community. Your thoughtful questions and support make this work possible.

Before the meeting, we asked for clear deliverables, objective pricing support, and a full implementation budget. The pause is a welcome outcome. We will keep following up as the proposal returns.

Open the images for more meeting highlights, including the hockey agreement, the adopted budget, student concerns, and encouraging developments in student support.

📬 Get our email updates for fuller reporting, source links, and what happens next. Sign up here:
https://mailchi.mp/de1107aaf1a2/subscribe

Please share this update with friends and neighbors in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. An informed, engaged community helps build stronger schools.

09/14/2026

Before the D115 Board votes: hockey safeguards, a $70,000 design proposal, superintendent contract questions—and a first look at Business Office costs rising 90%. See what Parents Care asked the Board and what we’re watching.

Ahead of the September 15, 2026 D115 board meeting, Parents Care examines hockey safeguards, a $70,000 design proposal, superintendent contract transparency, and rising Business Office costs.

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago, our nation changed forever.

Today, Parents Care remembers the lives taken on September 11, 2001, the first responders who rushed toward danger, and the families who still carry the weight of that day.

As parents and neighbors in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, we have a responsibility to help the next generation understand what happened—and the courage, sacrifice, and unity Americans showed in response.

We remember. We honor. We teach our children so they never forget. 🇺🇸

09/09/2026

Thank you, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined Parents Care for An Evening with Dakota Meyer. The remarkable turnout sent a powerful message: our community cares deeply about our young people and the future of our schools.

We care about confronting bullying and misconduct. We care about keeping students safe. We care about transparency, academic excellence, accountability, and the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Above all, we care about having the courage to speak up, stand together, and do what is right for our children.

We are incredibly proud of our community for showing up, listening, and demonstrating its commitment to making our schools the very best they can be.

Thank you to Dakota for sharing his extraordinary story and challenging all of us to lead with courage. And thank you to every parent, student, educator, and community member who made the evening such a success.

This is only the beginning.

Better Schools Through Community Oversight
www.parentscare.org