Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee appoints Catherine Bitter to vacant seat

SUDBURY -- August 10, 2023, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee appoints Lincoln parent Catherine Bitter to fill vacant seat. The six-member committee, joined by Lincoln Select Board member Jim Hutchinson and Sudbury Select Board Chair Janie Dretler, voted 5-2 Thursday to seat Bitter, an American Institutes for Research education researcher, over former committee member Harold Engstrom and Sudbury resident Soterios Zoulas. Acting chair Kevin Matthews and member Mary Worsanski nominated Engstrom, arguing that the district's "$35 million-plus budget" and incoming superintendent warranted a returning member; Kara Doran and Lucy Malsby nominated Bitter, citing her two children in the district and her data and policy background. Member Ravi Simon, joining remotely, said geographic balance also drove his vote, noting a Sudbury appointment would have produced a 5-1 Sudbury majority. Bitter, who said she intends to run in the spring, will be sworn in before the committee's next meeting.