Parents Care Governance Expectations and Recommended Actions: 2025–2026
About Parents Care
Parents Care is a community-led, non-partisan group of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff parents committed to building better schools through honesty, accountability, and transparency. We believe families deserve clear facts — not filtered talking points — about how our schools are performing and how taxpayer dollars are spent.
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Since our founding nearly three years ago, we’ve grown into a trusted local oversight and advocacy organization. Our mission is simple: safe, rigorous, transparent, and financially responsible schools for every student.
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Our Purpose
In the beginning, we were learning as we went — “breaking a few eggs to make the omelet.” Those lessons helped us mature into a thoughtful, student- and family-centered group focused on practical solutions, not politics.
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We’ve worked to pull back the curtain on district PR and show that better schools are possible when accountability and transparency come first.
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Now, Parents Care is setting clear, measurable goals that reflect our community’s priorities — goals the school board and administration can be held to, year after year.
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Our 2025–2026 Goals
Our mission is built around four core pillars: Safety, Finances, Transparency, and Academic Achievement.
Each pillar includes specific, measurable objectives for the coming year.
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Safety
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Independent Safety Audit: It’s been over a decade since the last forensic audit following the Dave Miller abuse scandal. Parents Care calls for a new, independent third-party safety audit to review the past five years and provide actionable recommendations.
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Full Disclosure on Past Misconduct: Families deserve the truth about whether the district has ever engaged in “passing the trash.” The board must provide a full public accounting and implement safeguards to ensure this never happens again.
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Finances
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Student-Centered Budgeting: End the cycle of automatic maximum tax levies. Develop a needs-based budget that prioritizes classrooms and student outcomes over administrative expansion.
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Accountability for Spending: Every consultant contract and administrative retreat should include a public, line-item justification showing measurable benefit to students.
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Transparency
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Adopt a Transparency Resolution: The board should formally commit to maximum transparency — publishing all non-confidential data, financials, and academic metrics online for public access.
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End FOIA Gamesmanship: When parents seek records, the district should collaborate, not obstruct. Working with families saves time, reduces costs, and builds trust.
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Academic Achievement
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Protect and Raise Standards: Set clear, measurable academic benchmarks beyond the state’s weakened “exemplary” label. Track NWEA MAP growth, proficiency rates, and college readiness indicators such as ACT/SAT.
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Create a Public Academic Data Hub​: Just as the district highlights facilities and finances, it should spotlight academic outcomes. Publish an online hub where parents can track student performance across key measures.