A routine proposal to pay Naperville School District 203’s monthly bills and claims hit a snag Tuesday when a board member previously censured for her actions was questioned as to why she didn’t review the information as scheduled.
Board members take turns reviewing the monthly bills with the district’s finance administration before approving them at the public board meeting. A rotating schedule was established in the summer, and this month’s bills were to be reviewed by board member Melissa Kelley Black.
Each month a board member reviews about $20 million to $30 million of monthly bills, board member Charles Cush said.
“Essentially it’s the district’s checkbook,” Cush said. “We have the opportunity to ask questions on behalf of the community as to what the bills were, what the claims were, what each dollar basically was spent on.”
Cush said he had a “major concern” that Kelley Black, who had been assigned the task, did not perform her duty. The schedule for when each board member would do the review was set in August, but Kelley Black notified the board president by email Jan. 14 to advise her she would not be doing the review this month, he said.
“We talk about responsibilities,” Cush said. “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 that has opted out from participating in this process.”
Each of the board members has reviewed the bills at least three times since Kelley Black was elected in spring 2023, but she has yet to perform the task.
“It’s not a responsibility that goes away because you’ve decided you want to opt out of it,” Cush said. “It’s not an easy responsibility. It’s a tough responsibility. … For you to decide you’re going to opt out because you don’t believe in the process, I think, is shirking responsibility. It’s putting additional burden on everyone else.”
Kelley Black, who was censured by the board earlier this month for conduct deemed unprofessional and detrimental to the district, said she decided not to participate in the review process because she would be “legally liable” to sign off on the bills and confirm that the information was accurate. She said she wouldn’t put her name on anything she didn’t know for certain was correct and said she has questions on the district’s budget.
“I just find the whole tone of this board problematic,” said Kelley Black, adding that she would be glad to do additional board work to make up for not doing the bills review.
Board President Kristine Gericke said she reviewed bills and claims this month after Kelley Black declined. Board members take an oath to respect taxpayer interests by protecting the district’s assets, she said.
“Bills and claims needed to be reviewed,” Gericke said. “It’s a practice that we have followed since prior to 2007. The work needed to go on, and the district’s business needs to carry on.
“We don’t get to pick and choose what we want to participate in,” she said. “The responsibilities are evenly distributed: committees, adopt-a-schools and in this case bills and claims. We can’t just go to the things we want to go to. … We are a board of seven. We share the responsibilities. No one takes only things they like.”
The check breakdown each month is publicly posted on the district’s website as part of the agenda.
Approval of about $36.4 million in bills and claims from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21 was removed from the Tuesday consent agenda so it could be discussed by board members. Payment was approved by a 6-1 vote, with Kelley Black dissenting.
On Jan. 6, board members took the rare action of censuring Kelley Black after conducting six self-evaluations with her and a representative from the IASB starting in June 2023. They also issued two private letters on Dec. 15, 2023, and June 16, 2024, asking her to stop violating board policies, according to the censure resolution.
In the allegations made against her, Kelley Black is accused of disclosing private student information, spreading false information and releasing collective bargaining details. She also allegedly disparaged the board and administration and improperly used her board membership with regard to her child, who attends a district school.
Kelley Black has emphatically denied the charges cited in the school board’s 10-page report, calling them vague, false and misleading and suggesting that politics is playing a role in the board’s action. She has demanded the board publicly post its evidence on the district’s website alongside the already-posted resolution outlining the grievances against her.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
