Naperville School District 203 Board of Education member Melissa Kelley Black has been censured by her six elected colleagues for a second time in less than a year. A resolution affirming the reprimand was adopted at a meeting Monday, Oct. 20.
In the latest censure, the board alleges Kelley Black divulged confidential information amid teacher contract negotiations via social media posts this summer and, at times, has disparaged the board and administrators. Kelley Black’s first censure occurred in January.
What’s in the second censure resolution against Kelley Black
The board voted 6-1, with Kelley Black dissenting, in support of the censure. The 44-page document, which includes a series of exhibits that include an April reprimand letter and some of Kelley Black’s social media posts, was uploaded immediately after the vote was cast.
The resolution outlines incidents Kelley Black’s colleagues deem infractions. One such finding was from an Aug. 15 social media post “relating to information she knows about the district’s ongoing negotiations for the successor collective bargaining contract with the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA).”
As a result of that incident, as stated in the resolution, “The NUEA publicly re-posted and responded to member Kelley Black’s posting, utilizing it to their benefit to insinuate the district is not being honest and open.”
The resolution also outlines a subsequent Aug. 20 post from Kelley Black that “disparaged the superintendent and board members in asserting that she had been subject to ‘gaslighting’ from them, just as the union had.”
Several additional findings that the board indicated it made as the basis for the second resolution were also outlined within the document.
“Member Kelley Black has repeatedly acted in such a way that is detrimental to District 203, its students and its staff, specifically as it relates to the unification of the board leadership and, ultimately, to student achievement,” the resolution states.
Kelley Black weighs in on the claims made against her
Kelley Black alleged the board was engaging in retaliatory tactics with the latest censure resolution. She said she desires a higher authority — such as the Regional Office of Education or the Illinois State Board of Education — to conduct an independent investigation and evaluate the censure.
Reading from a prepared statement, Kelley Black defended the actions she had previously taken.
“I acted within my constitutional rights,” Kelley Black said. “Most of the allegations (in the censure resolution) relate to my public statements, where I shared concerns about transparency, finances and collective bargaining. Those are matters of public concern, protected under the First Amendment and the Illinois Constitution.”
Kelley Black in the comments made at the Oct. 20 board meeting also took exception with the claims made against her within the resolution.
“Disagreement and criticism do not constitute disparagement,” Kelley Black said. “The board has provided no evidence that my statements impacted negotiated outcomes.”
She added, “I will not be intimidated out of fulfilling my oath of office and my obligations to the residents of this district.”
Other board members share their views on the censure
All six of Kelley Black’s elected colleagues commented at the Oct. 20 meeting — some from prepared statements — outlining why they supported the censure against her.
“While our individual voices matter, our strength lies in the collective commitment to the district’s mission,” board member Amanda McMillen said. “It is with a heavy heart that I express concern with the ongoing conduct of Ms. Kelley Black. It appears that her approach to board service has increasingly centered around personal grievances, rather than the broader needs of our students and community.”
School Board President Charles Cush said he was “disappointed and saddened” to bring the second censure resolution forward for a vote.
“I want to be clear: This is not about a difference of an opinion,” Cush said. “This is about the failure to seek change through ethical, constructive channels when disagreeing.”
Board member Holly Blastic said she was “deeply concerned” about the social media posts at a time when stress within the community was palpable about the state of the teacher contract negotiations.
“It puts us in a difficult place,” Blastic said. “All of those kinds of posts are in the eye of the beholder. People reading it will read it in a way that was not intended by you or was not intended by us and can be harmful to this board, to the confidential information we hold in negotiations.”
Board member Marc Willensky said he was disheartened by having to vote on the resolution, but did so to call out conduct he felt undermined the board’s ability to function as a cohesive unit.
“This is not an easy moment for any of us,” Willensky said. “I want to start out by acknowledging that I know Melissa personally, and I appreciate the role she played in encouraging me to get involved and serve in this community. That makes this vote even more difficult.”
Kelley Black’s role as resolutions delegate at IASB conference
Despite the censure, the board at the same Oct. 20 meeting reaffirmed its desire to have Kelley Black serve as Naperville 203’s resolutions delegate at next month’s Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Joint Annual Conference in Chicago.
Kelley Black, for her part, questioned why the board would vote for her assignment immediately after the censure.
“I think it shows that there is a huge disconnect, between what you say and how you act,” Kelley Black said.
Board member Kristine Gericke said she favored Kelley Black’s role as the delegate in the hopes of starting a new, more positive chapter.
“It is in good faith that I do support you as our delegate, hoping that this can be the turning of a page, and you have the ability to represent us at our statewide conference,” Gericke said to Kelley Black.
Board member Joseph Kozminski shared similar sentiments as he voiced his support for the delegation appointment.
“I look at it as we can bucket things,” Kozminski said. “We are censuring your behavior, in terms of publicly posting on social media, in violation of a previous censure. However, you are still a member of this board, and we want you to participate as a member of this board and contribute positively as a matter of this board.”
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
