A routine proposal to pay Naperville School District 203’s monthly bills and claims hit a wall Tuesday when a board member censured for her actions before she was questioned about whether she reported the information as scheduled. Why not review?
Board members take turns reviewing monthly bills with the district’s finance administration before approving them at a public board meeting. A rotating schedule was established over the summer, and this month’s bills were to be reviewed by board member Melissa Kelly Black.
Board member Charles Kush said each month a board member reviews approximately $20 million to $30 million of monthly bills.
“Essentially it’s the district’s checkbook,” Kush said. “We have an opportunity on behalf of the community to ask questions about what the bills were, what the claims were, what each dollar was originally spent on.”
Cush said he was “deeply concerned” that Kelly Black, who was assigned the task, did not perform her duties. A schedule of when each board member would review was set in August, she said, but Kelly Black informed the board chair by email on Jan. 14 that she would not be reviewing this month.
“We talk about responsibilities,” Kush said. “This is a responsibility that every member of the board has to fulfill. We do this on behalf of the community, and I would just like to express my concern that we have a board member who has refused to participate in this process.
Each board member has reviewed the bills at least three times since Kelly Black was elected in the spring of 2023, but they have yet to complete the work.
“It’s not a responsibility that goes away just because you decide you want out of it,” Kush said. “This is not an easy responsibility. This is a difficult responsibility. …For you to decide that you’re going to opt out because you don’t believe in the process is, I think, a shirking of responsibility. “It’s putting an extra burden on everyone.”
Kelly Black, who was censured by the board earlier this month for unprofessional and detrimental conduct to the district, said she decided not to participate in the review process because she is not responsible for signing and ratifying bills. Will be “legally liable” for the same. The information was accurate. She said she wouldn’t put her name to anything she didn’t know for sure was right and said she had some questions on the district’s budget.
“I find the entire nature of this board problematic,” Kelly Black said. He said he would be happy to take on additional board work to compensate for not reviewing the bills.
Board President Christine Gericke said she reviewed the bills and claims this month after Kelly Black declined. Board members take an oath to respect the interests of taxpayers by protecting the district’s assets, he said.
“The bills and claims need to be reviewed,” Gericke said. “This is a practice we have been following since before 2007. The work needs to continue, and the business of the district needs to move forward.
“We don’t get to choose what we want to participate in,” he said. “Responsibilities are distributed equally: committees, adoption schools and in this case bills and claims. We can’t just go to the things we want to go to. … We’re a board of seven. We share responsibilities. “Nobody just takes what they like.”
Each month the check breakdown is posted publicly on the district’s website as part of the agenda.
The approval of approximately $36.4 million in bills and claims from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21 was removed from Tuesday’s consent agenda so it could be discussed by board members. The payment was approved by a 6-1 vote with Kelly Black dissenting.
On January 7, board members took the rare action of censuring Kelly Black after conducting six self-assessments with her and a representative of the IASB, starting in June 2023. He also issued two private letters dated December 15, 2023 and June 16. , 2024, according to the censure resolution, he was asked to stop violating board policies.
Among the charges filed against her, Kelly Black is accused of disclosing private student information, spreading false information and releasing collective bargaining statements. She allegedly disrespected the board and administration and made improper use of her board membership in relation to her child, who attends a district school.
Kelly Black has vehemently denied the allegations cited in the school board’s 10-page report, calling them vague, false and misleading and suggesting that politics played a role in the board’s actions. She has demanded the board publicly post her testimony on the district’s website along with an already posted resolution outlining the complaints against her.