Tensions with censured District 203 board member continue  

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Tensions within Naperville School District 203’s Board of Education arose at a Tuesday, Jan. 21, meeting during two typically routine agenda items — approval of bills and claims and meeting minutes.

Melissa Kelley Black, who was censured earlier this month, was the subject of criticism during the heated exchanges.

‘I have a major concern with that’ said D203 School Board member Charles Cush

During approval of the bills and claims, board member Charles Cush took issue with Kelley Black’s decision not to go over the district’s receipts this month with an official within District 203’s finance department. Board members rotate the responsibility before each meeting and take a deep dive into the bills and claims with a recommendation before the full board votes.

Board President Kristine Gericke took on the responsibility of reviewing bills and claims in advance of the Jan. 21 meeting in Kelley Black’s absence.

Cush said he took exception to Kelley Black’s decision to opt out of the process.

“I have a major concern with that,” he said. “We talk about responsibilities — this is a responsibility that each board member is to take on. We do this on behalf of the community, and I would like to just state my concern that we have a board member who has opted out of participating in this process.”

Kelley Black was elected to the District 203 Board of Education in May 2023 and reportedly has not yet taken on the bills and claims responsibility, based on information shared at the most recent meeting.

“In that timeframe, each of the remaining board members has taken on that responsibility and performed that responsibility no less than three times since the time you have been on the board,” Cush said to Kelley Black. “It’s not a responsibility that goes away just because you decided you wanted to opt out of it.”

Kelley Black defends herself

Kelley Black cited several reasons behind her decision not to take part in the bills and claims review process, including concerns regarding general district protocols and unanswered questions about a recently completed financial audit. Administrators and other board members, however, have defended all of the long-held practices that have been in place.

“The reason that I did not feel comfortable is … I submitted questions about the budget and the audit on Dec. 16th,” Kelley Black said. “Those questions were not answered.”

Kelley Black also cited a seminar she attended at last November’s Triple I conference, the annual event the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and Illinois Association of School Business Officials hold jointly.

“When I went to the Triple I conference, and I learned more about the budgets and the audits, one of the other things that’s very clear … part of the process is that the person has to sign off,” Kelley Black said. “It’s a fiduciary duty, which means I’m legally liable. I am putting down my name, saying that this is accurate information.”

For their part, administrators made brief statements about the general budgeting process and the status of the most recent audit, which an outside firm conducted under standard practice.

Chief Financial Officer Mike Frances said there are a few policy-related matters that will be presented to the board this spring in relation to the audit. He added, “There’s nothing in (the auditors’) management recommendations that focuses on internal controls.”

Kelley Black indicated she was willing to take on another board-related responsibility in lieu of the bills and claims comb-through.

“You did indicate that in your email,” Gericke said, in response. “However, it is not about picking and choosing and trading off the work. We don’t get to pick and choose what we participate in. The responsibilities are all evenly distributed. We are a board of seven. We share the responsibilities.”

D203 board meeting minute talks boil over

In addition to voting against the bills and claims, Kelley Black dissented on open session meeting minutes from Dec. 16 and Jan. 7, as well as closed session meeting minutes from the same sets of dates. The other six board members approved all of the minutes, as presented.

With regard to the open session minutes, Kelley Black took exception to information in the document from Jan. 7, the date she was censured by her six counterparts on the board. Kelley Black argued evidentiary information related to her censure was not fully and accurately represented in the minutes.

“I think that the accuracy should be the point of the minutes — not people’s impressions,” Kelley Black said. “With the amount of hardship it’s caused me, I think we owe it to the community — we’ve scared our community, we’ve embarrassed our community. I don’t want people to hide behind, ‘We can’t release this information,’ when our own attorneys said that we can. I want it noted accurately.”

Kelley Black began reading a brief excerpt from one of the closed sessions minutes before Superintendent Dan Bridges cut her off, citing Illinois’ Open Meetings Act. While the board routinely approves closed session meeting minutes in open session, it only releases them publicly twice annually.

“I did interrupt you, but I’m trying to protect you also because these are closed minutes that the board has not determined are subject to release,” Bridges said in explaining his action.

“In closed session … the board of education had an opportunity to reflect comments about closed minutes and their accuracy; no comments were made at that time,” Bridges added. To Kelley Black, he said, “You’ve chosen to bring them up here. You’ve chosen to read from the minutes publicly under a set of minutes that have not been released by the Board of Education. That’s inappropriate.”

Kelley Black later asked to have documentation related to her censure included with the closed session minutes, though it was not supported with any of the other board members’ votes.

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