The cause and details of an eight-week-old tragedy in Winnetka remain a mystery to the general public.
Local authorities, citing their active investigation, continue to decline to comment on the May 2 crash that resulted in the deaths of two pedestrians: Kenilworth resident Sediqeh “Asra” Samadi, 37, and her mother, Raziyeh Sigary, 58. Samadi’s infant child was also struck and hospitalized but has survived.
The collision occurred in the early evening on Friday, May 2, when a vehicle left the roadway on Church Street near Meadow Lane near the borders of Kenilworth and Winnetka and on unincorporated land in Cook County.
How the tragedy happened remains unclear, and as of press time (Thursday, June 26), no criminal charges or traffic citations had been administered. The county sheriff’s office is leading the investigation, which spokespeople have continued to say is ongoing.
On why the investigation is persisting, a sheriff’s spokesperson said on Thursday, “We are committed to a thorough and complete investigation.”
In its initial statement on May 2, the sheriff’s office said no foul play was suspected in the crash, which also hospitalized the driver and the car’s passenger with non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators have asked anyone with information to call (708) 765-4896.
The Record’s public-records request to the sheriff’s office was, for the most part, denied, with the sheriff’s office citing its active investigation. The Record did receive a heavily redacted crash report that reveals only a few details.
According to the report, the incident occurred at 1 Indian Hill Country Club Road in New Trier Township, which is the address of Indian Hill Country Club. A flower memorial as well as debris at the scene indicate the tragedy occurred just south of a secondary exit to the country club along Church Road.
Responding units from the sheriff’s office took over at approximately 5:50 p.m. for Winnetka Police Department personnel who were securing the scene, the report says.
Samadi was transported to Evanston Hospital, where she died at 6:30 p.m. The medical examiner arrived on-scene at 7:47 p.m.
All other information on the report was redacted amid the ongoing investigation.
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Bill Lustig’s 40-year career in law enforcement, including 23 years as Northfield’s police chief, was honored by the community he served Wednesday evening at Clarkson Park.
Lustig, who had been a Northfield police officer since 1981, retired in October 2024 and on Wednesday, June 25, months of planning by the Lustig Legacy Committee culminated at the Clarkson Park bandshell with a public celebration of the chief and his career.
Tom Whittaker, a Northfield village trustee and the chair of the Lustig Legacy Committee, praised the chief as a “fine man” and said that Lustig had introduced Whittaker to his wife, Cindy, 35 years ago.
Cindy Whittaker wrote a tribute to Lustig, which her husband read, in which she recognized his “legacy of integrity, compassion and leadership.”
“For more than four decades, Chief Bill Lustig stood as a pillar of strength, wisdom and dedication in the Northfield community,” she wrote. “His career was not just about enforcing the law; it was about building trust, protecting dignity and making Northfield a place where everyone felt safe, heard and valued.”
Ed Tefka (left), of Northfield, shakes Lustig’s hand during the festivities June 25.
Whittaker also praised Lustig’s “calm presence during times of crisis, his willingness to listen, and his tireless efforts to ensure that the Northfield Police Department reflected the values of fairness, transparency and community care.”
“As Chief Lustig steps back from the role he filled so faithfully, we honor not just a career, but a calling fulfilled,” she wrote. “Northfield is stronger, safer and more connected because of him. Thank you, Chief Lustig, for your service, your sacrifice, and your unwavering dedication. You will always be part of this community’s story.”
Tom Whittaker also read a letter from current Police Chief Mike Hutensky, who reportedly could not attend the celebration.
“During his tenure as chief, Bill saw the police department through a number of significant challenges, but whether it was a major emergency or just day-to-day operations, Bill always led us with a steady hand and a laser focus on what was absolutely paramount — the residents of Northfield,” Hutensky wrote.
He also called Lustig a “pioneer” for promoting community policing long before it became a common practice among police departments and his work with the Officer Friendly program.
“I once jokingly asked Bill where he keeps all the extra Bills, because it just didn’t seem possible that one person could be doing everything he was,” Hutensky wrote. “But while I found what Bill was doing to be extraordinary, for Bill, it was easy because he was doing what he loved.”
The Lustig family — (left to right) Jane, Jimmy, Anne, Kylie, Bill and Pearson — outside the newly named Lustig Lodge at Clarkson Park.
Officials also announced Wednesday that the lodge at Clarkson Park will be dedicated to the former chief. It is now known as the Lustig Lodge.
Northfield Park Board President Bridget Kennedy said that fittingly the lodge has been a popular place for community celebrations.
Lustig’s daughter, Pearson Lustig, said she saw firsthand how hard her father worked for Northfield.
“(He worked) late nights, early mornings and in moments where most of us would have taken a break,” Pearson Lustig said. “But he kept going, not just because it was his job, but because he truly cares. He cares about safety, he cares about fairness, and most of all, he cares about this community.”
When it was Bill Lustig’s turn to speak, he thanked the park district for the celebration and the community for being there.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for me,” he said of the celebration. “After 44 years of doing this, I thought I’d just keep going and going and going. But obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.”
Lustig reflected on what the chief who hired him once said.
“When I started here, the chief back then said, ‘Before you leave for the day, you make sure that everybody’s tucked in and safe,’” Lustig said. “I tucked a lot of people in the last 44 years, I’ll tell you that, too. This community became part of my soul, part of my body, and I was always worried and concerned about it.”
“But most of all, I want to thank you, all of you, for inviting me into your homes, into your lives. … Thank you all. I love you.”
Lustig retired following a medical leave in 2024 and while he voluntarily retired according to his retirement agreement, he told The Record at the time that the Village encouraged his retirement and the two eventually came to terms, including a final payout of more than $200,000.
Speaking with The Record after the celebration, Lustig said he considers himself lucky to have served for 40 years.
“I got to see four generations of Northfield kids grow up, get married and move back, go to college, and it was like one big family watching them all,” he said. “It was wonderful. It was like a storybook adventure for me.
“It was a privilege working for this great community, and watching the Northfield people and being a part of their lives. It was great.”
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Come this fall, students in Highland Park and Deerfield high schools will be barred from accessing their cellphones during class time, a slated update to the school district’s student handbook shows.
The Township High School District 113 Board of Education provided a first reading to a number of updated district policies on June 10, including a new “No Cell, Bell to Bell” procedure that will require students to silence their phones and store them in designated storage areas during instructional periods.
Once formally approved by the School Board, the policy will go into effect for the upcoming 2025-’26 school year. D113 students previously were only required to keep phones silenced and out of sight during regular instructional periods.
Students may still use their phones before and after school, during passing periods and at lunch, a June 16 letter to D113 families outlined. Students will otherwise be expected to give up their cellphones if they don’t have outside permission from a staff member, individualized education program or 504 plan.
The district spent the past year collecting “instrumental” information from stakeholder surveys, focus groups, planning meetings, research and policy reviews in order to shape D113’s evolving stance on cell phones, the administrative letter to families said.
The proposed update to D113’s cellphone rules also comes as the district is phasing in a policy modification that will require all students to use district-issued Google Chromebook laptops, instead of their own personal devices, during class.
D113 first began providing Chromebook laptops to students in 2014 alongside a $100 technology fee, but students were not required to use the computers and could rely on their own electronic devices instead. Before 2014, D113’s policy was for students to bring their personal laptops or iPads to school.
But starting in the upcoming 2025-’26 school year, all ninth- and 10th-graders will be required to use Chromebooks during class.
Current 11th- and 12th-grade students may continue to use their own personal laptops or iPads next year granted they obtain a digital authentication certificate, but all D113 students will be required to use the Chromebooks starting in the 2026-’27 school year.
According to a June 10 D113 presentation on the policy, the change is necessary to enhance the school district’s cyber-security, as well as provide the administration firmer controls over web browsing and greater awareness of students’ online habits.
D113 is updating many of its policies — including those governing bus conduct, medicine administration, workplace harassment, teen dating violence and more — after the Policy Reference Education Subscription Service issued various recommended revisions to the district in April.
All D113 families and staff will receive more information regarding the changes prior to the upcoming fall and throughout the school-year, the administration letter said.
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Thousands gathered amid 90-degree temperatures to enjoy The Revivalists, Cold War Kids and 27 other artists on stage at the Winnetka Music Festival this weekend.
As the heat surged, the eclectic mix of music got North Shore residents’ feet on the streets as they danced to indie rock, bluegrass, funk and more during the eighth festival.
“Our goal in the music festival is to have a quality boutique music festival that highlights not only the music but also the quality of the community,” said Scott Myers, Winnetka Music Festival co-founder.
Approximately 6,300 people poured onto Lincoln Avenue on Friday, June 20, while 6,000 or so showed out on Saturday, June 21, according to Myers.
Georgia alt-rock band Hotel Fiction entertained the Winnetka crowds on the main stage Saturday.
The Revivalists, a rock band known for their hit song “Wish I Knew You,” headlined Friday’s sold-out lineup, with eight artists across two stages.
Saturday’s performances began at 11:30 a.m. with the Bed Heads, a Glencoe band, on the Family Free stage. Throughout the day, familiar faces and up-and-coming artists — including Pete Yorn, Augustana and Grace Enger — performed across four stages.
Cold War Kids, a popular indie rock band from Long Beach, California, closed out the festival on Saturday, playing until 10:30 p.m.
Glencoe resident Jason LaBelle attended on Saturday specifically to see Eggy, a jam band with “a little bit of a ’70s feel.”
LaBelle found plenty more to like about the festivities.
“The music’s good; the layout is really nice,” he said. “It’s just so convenient. It’s such a treat to have it all right there in the backyard.”
Val Haller, the festival’s other co-founder who oversees much of the booking, said she handpicks artists for a Winnetka audience, many of whom are young families. She considers which artists she thinks the audience should know, wanting to impress even the biggest live music fan with a new find.
“I want to bring a taste of everything,” Haller said. “To me, that’s what a festival is.”
Bluegrass artist Tony Kamel took the Chapel Stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
This year, the festival introduced “Just Listen Sessions,” during which attendees gathered Friday evening at the Winnetka Chapel Stage to listen to two discussion panels.
The sessions were in collaboration with The Book Stall, a local independent bookstore. The first session was a roundtable discussion with three music journalists (Selena Fragassi, Annie Zaleski and Paul Natkin) while the second featured four artists (Kendall Robbins, Tony Kamel and two members of Hotel Fiction) giving behind-the-scenes insight on their careers, Haller said.
“I would love to do this every single year and bring in fun conversations about things that are related to music but you might not know as much about,” Haller said. “So that was a real thrill for me this year to launch that.”
Myers said the heat posed a particular challenge this year, but the volunteer staff and Winnetka Fire Department planned ahead to ensure that plenty of water and misting stations were available.
Volunteers stepped up in other capacities as well, whether providing directions to guests and managing relationships with the festival’s neighbors. Volunteers also helped connect artists with residents who were open to hosting the musicians.
Myers said the community participation is part of what makes the festival so special.
“It’s just a lot of different ways that I think the community engages in the festival, and that we’re able to take advantage of that and show the musicians not just a great crowd, but give them a real nice taste of Winnetka,” Myers said.
Texas country music band Chaparelle opened the Main Stage Friday.
Myers and Haller are already looking ahead to next year’s music fest, which will mark 10 years since the event’s inception in 2017. They hope to plan a special celebration for the milestone.
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Mariano’s grocery store in Northfield will close for good this Friday, June 27, well ahead of its lease expiration in the fall.
The closing date is noted on posters on Mariano’s front doors, as well as throughout the interior of the store.
The Village of Northfield first announced the pending closure of the store in February, saying at the time that it was “unexpected and disappointing news.” Since, town officials have remained optimistic about the future of the building, reporting that interest from prospective tenants was high.
Northfield Village Manager Patrick Brennan said on Wednesday that he was not yet aware of a replacement business for the large space; however, he was confident one would be announced soon.
“I am hoping that we are a week or two away from (the property owners) making an announcement,” Brennan wrote in an email to The Record. “When that happens, we should be able to also estimate how long it will take for someone new to turn the lights on and welcome in new customers.”
Northfield’s Mariano’s has existed since 2014, but the space has housed a grocer for at least 40 years.
The 47,732-square-foot Mariano’s opened at 1822 Willow Road in 2014 after Mariano’s parent company (then Roundy’s, now Kroger) purchased the location, and 10 others, from fellow grocer Dominick’s, which had been in the location for the 38 years prior.
A majority of the shelves in the Northfield Store were bare on Wednesday. Many remaining items, however, are on sale at up to 75% off through the store’s closing at noon on Friday.
Not just Northfield
The closing of Mariano’s Northfield location is part of a larger Kroger story. The brand is closing approximately 60 stores nationwide over the next 18 months, according to Kroger’s recent earnings report.
Mariano’s locations in Buffalo Grove and Northbrook, 2323 Capital Drive, are also closing in the coming weeks; though, another location in Northbrook, 784 Skokie Blvd., will remain open.
The closings occur in the wake of a failed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and fellow grocer giant Albertsons, which operates Jewel-Osco. The deal fell apart in December 2024 when a federal judge sided with federal regulators who claimed the merger would drive up prices and harm consumers.
After that, Albertsons filed a $6 billion lawsuit against Kroger, claiming the company breached the merger agreement by not exercising its best efforts in its divestment packages to sell off stores and appease the Federal Trade Commission.
“Kroger willfully breached the Merger Agreement in several key ways, including by repeatedly refusing to divest assets necessary for antitrust approval, ignoring regulators’ feedback, rejecting stronger divestiture buyers and failing to cooperate with Albertsons,” says a statement from Albertsons.
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The corner store will mean something a bit different at Plaza del Lago with its latest incoming business.
SPACE 519, a boutique department store with a Chicago location, plans to open later this summer with 6,000 square feet of shopping and dining in the shopping center’s corner space formerly occupied by Yellow Bird Stationery.
The store will include clothing, accessory, home goods and beauty departments as well as three unique dining concepts, two of which are sitdown options, according to a press release sent out by the business.
Spokesperson Whitley Bouma Herbert said SPACE 519 plans for an August opening following a courtship between owners Lance Lawson and Jim Wetzel and WS Development, the owners of Plaza del Lago that reportedly found SPACE 519 in a search for a reputable local brand.
A look inside SPACE 519’s Chicago location. | Photo by Aimee Mazzenga
The pairing was harmonious. Lawson said SPACE 519 also looking for the right opportunity in the North Shore.
“Jim and I are incredibly excited about this project,” he said in the press release. “For years we have looked for the right opportunity on the North Shore and the redevelopment of Plaza del Lago is a dream scenario. We are constantly traveling in search of the coolest brands and we cannot wait to share our findings with the lakefront communities when the store opens next year.”
The release calls SPACE 519 a “meticulously curated fashion and lifestyle destination” that opened in 2010 on Michigan Avenue before moving in 2018 to Streeterville.
With the new location, the store introduced The Lunchroom, a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant with a patio that will be the primary dining option within the Plaza del Lago location.
The other options will be Lago Room, a 40-seat European-style cafe by day and wine and cocktail bar by night; and The Lunchbox, a complement to Lunchroom, though with a different menu that features grab-and-go food and coffees.
The Lunchroom will be SPACE 519’s primary dining option in Plaza del Lago. | Photo by Aimee Mazzenga
Shoppers can expect collections sourced from near and far, whether in the jewelry department or women’s wear. The release points to brands like Spinelli Kilcollin and Gabriela Artigas for the former and Jil Sander and Thom Browne for the latter.
While Plaza del Lago is currently open, WS Development’s revitalization of the historic shopping center is underway, with facade, signage, parking and other work ongoing.
The following reports were pulled from the latest police summaries provided by departments in our coverage area (Wilmette, Winnetka, Highland Park, Northfield, Kenilworth and Glencoe).
WILMETTE
June 22
• Credit cards reportedly were stolen from an individual dining in the 1100 block of Wilmette Avenue.
June 21
• Tools reportedly were stolen from an unlocked car in the 100 block of Woodbine Avenue.
WINNETKA
June 21
• A pair of prescription glasses reportedly was damaged when a car was broken into at 606 Green Bay Road.
June 18
• A resident reportedly was scammed out of nearly $2,000 by an individual purporting to be with the digital pay platform Zelle.
GLENCOE
No reported incidents between June 11-18 that meet The Record’s standards for publication.
HIGHLAND PARK
June 17
• A bicycle reportedly was stolen from Red Oak School, 530 Red Oak Lane.
• Items reportedly were stolen from an unlocked car at LA Fitness, 115 Skokie Valley Road.
June 16
• Landscaping and irrigation items reportedly were damaged in the 1800 block of Green Bay Road.
• An Highland Park Hospital employee’s wallet reportedly was stolen from a secured office at the hospital, 777 Park Avenue West.
NORTHFIELD
No incidents reported by press time (Tuesday, June 24).
KENILWORTH
No incidents reported between June 13-20
The Record’s police reports are taken from police-activity summaries prepared by local police departments. Police Reports contain public information from preliminary reports and are not a complete listing of all police activity. The Record does not publish the names of individuals arrested and named in preliminary reports unless the incident is a matter of public safety or has significant community implications. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.
When Andrew Moreno works on a painting, he focuses on what he calls the spirit.
If he listens to it closely, the spirit’s energy will tell him which canvas to use, which color to smear, which shape to draw — and the closer he listens, the easier the paintings come.
The first painting he ever made by that method sold to famous actress Jodie Foster.
After that, Moreno painted for a year and a half, sometimes working on six artworks at once in his bedroom before God told him he needed to stop. He gave away all his art supplies, didn’t touch a canvas for six years, then started again last year, painting 100 pieces in just three months.
“Sometimes the painting tells me that I need to find these found objects,” Moreno said. “So I kind of put that vision in my head as to what shape it needs to be, how thick and all these details, and I just go out for a walk, and then the piece comes to me. It’s kind of a manifestation.”
The Art Center Highland Park will exhibit more than 60 of Moreno’s abstract expressionist paintings, many from that prolific time period, from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, as part of the Highland Park born-and-raised artist’s first solo exhibition, Lo Que No Se Ve (What Is Not Seen).
The one-night-only event will also feature a live music performance from Moreno’s band Psychefelix, a raffle of selected artwork, and food and drinks from Sabor a Norte Catering, a Mexican catering company run by Moreno’s father. Tickets to the exhibit cost $45.
Moreno, who goes by the artist name MM, recalled his love of art started with the drums, not painting.
He beat on pots and pans with sticks until his mother bought him a kit when he was 10. For the next eight years, he would come home from school and play drums for six hours straight until he couldn’t anymore, he said.
Later, when he was 26, Moreno streaked some charcoal with acrylic paint and oil pastels on a blank canvas that his then-girlfriend had lying around. His mother brought what became the abstract portrait of a three-eyed person to a family friend’s house in Glencoe.
The 18-by-24-inch multimedia piece titled “Third Eye Guy” was Andrew Moreno’s first painting, which sold it to the actress Jodie Foster after she saw it in a house in Glencoe. | Photo Submitted
Foster was passing through the home on a book tour and liked the painting so much she bought it, Moreno said. The experience inspired him to paint more and get to know his spirit more — a force that doesn’t speak in human language but through energy forms, he described.
Formative years
Like his creativity, Moreno’s sense of spirituality began when he was young. His family didn’t have a lot of money and moved around Lake County frequently, so Moreno grew to keep to himself and prioritize his inner life rather than attach to friends that might not be around soon, he said.
Moreno’s spirituality informs the way he moves through life. When he walks past strangers having a conversation on the street, he listens to their words for answers the universe is providing to questions he hasn’t asked yet. This attunement isn’t something you can explain to people, he said; you either possess it from prior lifetimes you worked on yourself or you don’t.
While working on a painting one day, Moreno searched online for a reference image and encountered a slide that said “Abandon All Art.” Accepting that as a sign from the universe, he left the piece unfinished and didn’t make another painting for at least six years.
The hiatus kicked off with approximately five months of meditating, walking and reading religious texts like “The Book of Genesis” and “The New Testament” for hours at a time. It felt “healing,” he said, as he fasted for days and spoke little to others, even if that caused some tension at home.
“My family would kind of take it personal. Like, ‘Why don’t you want to talk to me?’ I was like, ‘I do,’ but I just wanted to focus more on myself,” Moreno recalled.
“We’re two different entities, so it’s more so about pleasing God because he knows more than anyone else around me. So why not listen to that voice and that energy to transform my life.”
A painting titled the “Golden Rule” will be the centerpiece of Andrew Moreno’s debut art show on June 26 in Highland Park. | Image Submitted
Moreno gave away his drum kit and all his art supplies when he committed to that years-long “spiritual journey,” so when he started making art again in 2024 — in part due to urging from his family — he just used newspapers and crayons that his sister, a school teacher, had available.
But Moreno found the constraints helpful. He sold some paintings to get art supplies and began painting again at a rapid clip. Thursday’s gallery will feature a range of works from this time, as well as a huge 8-by-4-foot centerpiece titled “The Golden Rule” from before his break.
Moreno said his intuitive art practice has helped him understand who he is, how he listens and responds to life. He looks forward to meeting new people during his first solo show and, rather than explaining what his paintings represent, hearing how others perceive the works he’s created.
“I feel so excited because for me, the joy is to share my crafts with everyone else and to inspire people,” Moreno said.
“Basically, it’s not really about me, but it’s about sharing my love with everyone else, like really being present with every single person that comes in contact with me, and saying, ‘Hey, I’m here for you. I don’t know you, but I’m here to listen to every single thing you have to say.”
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Northfield’s public library is a procedural step closer to expanding its cramped Orchard Lane home, after Northfield Village Board members on June 17 gave Village Manager Patrick Brennan the go-ahead to negotiate with two architectural firms and recommend one of them to be the project’s design architect.
Village and library officials still have several more steps in front of them before a larger library becomes a reality. That includes figuring out construction costs — estimated in 2024 at $4 million, not including site preparation, and potentially as high as $6 million according to 2025 assessments — and finding funding sources.
The ultimate goal is to more than triple the library’s current space, from about 3,000 square feet to 10,000-11,000 feet, Brennan said.
The library, which is part of the two-location Winnetka-Northfield Library District, leases its space from the village. The U.S. Postal Service also leases space in the building, while Northfield makes use of the remaining space.
At their June meeting, village trustees heard Brennan’s report before reaching a consensus. He told them that officials from the Winnetka-Northfield Library District, which operates the branch at 1785 Orchard Lane, first contacted village officials in early 2023 about their space concerns.
“If you’ve been to the library … you’ll definitely agree that new space is something they need,” he said.
A joint study group looked at both finding a new location or expanding the current space, which sits north of Orchard Lane and across Happ Road from Northfield Village Hall; it decided to explore the expansion option further, Brennan said. Northfield then hired the Chicago-based architectural firm of Holabird & Root to do what he called a high-level analysis of the option.
According to Brennan’s report, that study backed the idea of a one-story expansion on the building’s current south parking lot, while moving public parking south of Orchard Lane. Last October, the village started looking for a design architect.
Village and library district staff chose the two finalists after reviewing nine firms that answered a request for qualifications last November. Four firms qualified to provide proposals, which the village sought in January. Brennan said he wasn’t naming the two finalists in order to give the village more negotiating leverage.
In his report, Brennan said the village foresees the design work being done in two phases. The first would look at the current building’s assessment as well as programmatic and schematic design as well as design development.
It’s thrilling that the Village understands how essential the library is to community life in Winnetka and Northfield.”
Monica Dombrowski, executive director of the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District
The second phase would include production of construction documents, bidding and construction administration, he stated.
Finding dollars for constructing the project hasn’t yet been completed; however Brennan said the cost to hire an architect could run between $145,000 and $165,000. That amount, plus costs to check the site, estimated at $10,000-$15,000 is handled in the 2026 budget, he said.
In addition to negotiating with the architectural firms, his next task is to develop an agreement with the library district that addresses the design and construction process, lease agreement terms, and funding responsibilities.
Brennan said he hoped to bring a recommendation back to the board in July.
On Friday, Monica Dombrowski, the library district’s executive director, said she, district staff, and its board members were happy to partner with the village on an expansion project.
In an email, Dombrowski said the project to provide Northfield residents more library space had been years in the making and added that it will allow the district “to continue meeting community demand for more collections, programs, and spaces in which to gather, play, work, study, and learn. It’s thrilling that the Village understands how essential the library is to community life in Winnetka and Northfield and we are excited to get started on next steps!”
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A growing number of North Shore school districts are moving forward with plans to withdraw from a regional cooperative providing special education services to area students, leaving its future in doubt.
North Shore School District 112’s administration recommended on June 10 that its upcoming Board of Education vote on June 26 to leave the TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804. Township High School District 113’s board voted that same night to file a notice of intent to withdraw.
D112’s recommendation marks an about-face after Superintendent Dr. Michael Lubelfeld said the district “has no intention of withdrawing from the cooperative” during a May 20 board meeting, and the D112 board voted to deny nearby Glenbrook High School District 225’s petition to withdraw.
D112’s administration highlighted that all 17 other member districts of the cooperative have now indicated intent to withdraw from the program, which could leave any school district still in the cooperative by July 1 potentially liable to absorb all of the cooperative’s assets and 120 staff members.
“If 18 school districts issue notices of intent to withdraw, speaking as one public school superintendent who may reluctantly have to ask you to do that, I would say that we 18 superintendents are screaming to our leadership council to do something please,” Lubelfeld said on June 10.
TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 cooperative formed in 1960 as one of the first special education joint agreements in Illinois.
It provides a wide array of specialized services at its two Highland Park campuses to North Shore school districts who might not have independent resources for programs like early childhood support, speech therapy, adapted physical education and professional development.
All children who currently access services from the cooperative will continue to have access in the upcoming 2025-26′ school year as TrueNorth anticipates no changes to its staffing, programs or services in that time, a May 28 letter to families from Kurt Schneider, TrueNorth’s superintendent, said.
The cooperative expects to gain more guidance from its member school districts by the end of this calendar year — guidance that will drive decision-making in early 2026, Schneider wrote.
“The bottom line is that all students and families will continue to receive the special education programs and services they need,” Schneider wrote. “What we do not yet know is whether it will be through a Cooperative or at the individual school district level.”
Districts who initiate the two-year withdrawal process can also stop that procedure and revisit their decision to withdraw, Schneider wrote. If D112 and D113 move forward with leaving the cooperative, their formal withdrawals won’t go into effect until June 30, 2027.
That gives the school districts time to create plans for how their students who receive services from TrueNorth will be supported moving forward. If the cooperative dissolves, D112 would find appropriate, safe private or public therapeutic settings for its 15 students currently serviced, Lubelfeld said.
Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 has already gained approval to effectively withdraw from the cooperative on June 30, 2026, and D225 is seeking to withdraw that same date. New Trier Township High School District 203 is also seeking to withdraw effective June 30, 2027.
D112 Board Member Lisa Hirsh, the district’s liaison to the cooperative, said she has noticed other school districts frustrated with the cooperative’s financial model, where districts may pay expensive membership fees but the cooperative benefits some districts more than others.
Including membership and student tuition expenses, TrueNorth services cost D112 approximately $1.9 million in the 2024–2025 school year, and the district anticipates a comparable cost for the upcoming year, Ben Finfer, D112’s director of communications, previously said in an email.
Some districts are also moving toward more inclusive models for special education, where students with disabilities are educated in the local schools or communities they live in, Hirsh said.
In any case, Lubelfeld said there is an “absolute need for change in the structures of governance” at the cooperative as member districts are “powerless” to the leadership council of administrators at TrueNorth.
The superintendent emphasized developments that potentially threaten the future of the cooperative are moving “really fast and it’s not OK,” but that he is also optimistic a resolution is possible.
“The crux of this is our kids,” Hirsh said. “We’re talking about money, and I want people to remember that we’re also talking about kids and I don’t want that to be lost.”
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