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Sally P. Pofcher, Jean Murphy Hahn and Courtney A. McDonough — all of which who were endorsed by the New Trier High School Caucus — won the three open seats on the New Trier Board of Education.

Hahn currently serves as the board vice president and was elected to the board in 2019. Pofcher and McDonough are newcomers to the board but not to New Trier. McDonough is a member of the New Trier Parent Association and Pofcher served on the New Trier Parent Association and was a member of the 2030 Strategic Planning Committee.

Jean Hanh, current New Trier School Board vice president, won her reelection to the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 election. - Original Credit: Handout
Jean Hanh, current New Trier School Board vice president, won her reelection to the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 election.
– Original Credit: Handout
Sally Pofcher, member of the New Trier Parent Association, won a seat on the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 school board election. - Original Credit: Handout
Sally Pofcher, member of the New Trier Parent Association, won a seat on the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 school board election.
– Original Credit: Handout
Courtney McDonough, member of the New Trier Parent Association, won a seat on the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 school board election. - Original Credit: Handout
Courtney McDonough, member of the New Trier Parent Association, won a seat on the New Trier Board of Education in the April 2023 school board election.
– Original Credit: Handout

McDonough ended the night with 25.4% of the vote, Pofcher with 24.5% and incumbent Hahn with 24.9%.

Three other candidates threw their hats in the ring — retired emergency trauma nurse Bernie Hossfeld, first generation college graduate and concierge Bianca Zaragoza-Kaufman and mother Jennifer Yeo. Hossfeld finished with 7.85%, Zaragoza-Kaufman with 7.88% and Yeo with 9.46%.

Glencoe resident Abbey Rubinstein voted for Caucus slate saying, “I believe they are the strongest candidates with the most experience to lead New Trier High School. They are very bright candidates and I believe in their platform.”

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Turnout for the election was low with less than 18% of voters submitting a ballot. A total of 8,755 ballots were cast.

Derek Sammann, a father of three New Trier graduates from Glencoe, also voted for Caucus slate.

“We think having a good school system and a well-run school board is really important and healthy for the community. We like how they are positioning themselves on the issue,” he said.

Voter Lisa Wadler said she did not vote for all of the Caucus slate, instead voting for a mix of both.

“The Caucus slate all seemed to have the same perspective,” Wadler said. “I intentionally voted for candidates with different opinions to bring a different perspective to the board. We need a variety of thoughts and perspective.”

In a statement released Wednesday morning, caucus spokesperson Heather Oliver said, “We look forward to seeing how these highly qualified incoming board members use their talents to serve the New Trier school board in the next four years.”

Outgoing New Trier Caucus Chair David Eisenberg said in a statement that he is pleased that the community trusted the vetting process.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.