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Speakers at Waukegan board meeting sharply criticize superintendent, board counsel and district management
Summary
Multiple members of the public used the April 8 Waukegan CUSD 60 public‑comment period to criticize the superintendent’s attendance and performance, call for replacement of the board attorney, and raise concerns about staff treatment and transparency; speakers asked the board to act on personnel and governance issues.
Several community members used the public‑comment period at the April 8 Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education meeting to criticize district leadership and call for changes.
Speakers including Krista Sanchez, Renee Barnes and Mister Edwards addressed the board. Krista Sanchez described a long history of involvement in district schools and said she was “asked…to do additional background checks” when volunteering, said she had been pressured in district employment matters and asserted she was “being terminated because I speak up.” Renee Barnes, who said she worked for the district for 18 years and has an adult child with mental health needs, said her family’s FMLA paperwork had been “messed up” for nearly a year and that she had lost pay while seeking resolution. She said she had sought assistance from the union and human resources but had not received a timely response.
Mister Edwards and other public commentators pressed the board on superintendent conduct and the district’s legal counsel. A speaker identified as Mister Edwards said the superintendent “was here” in closed session for an evaluation but has been absent from public meetings, and that he would “be asking this community to get behind a petition because it's time for us to trash this attorney that this board has hired.” Multiple public speakers criticized how disciplinary or personnel matters have been handled, raised concerns about perceived uneven treatment in investigations and referenced a recent incident described in the meeting as a student being taken from class by police.
Public speakers included allegations and strongly worded claims about district leadership. One commenter said the district was “paying this woman almost $500,000 when you add benefits, insurance, and allowances, and…bonuses,” and urged removal of the superintendent and the board attorney. Another commenter called for the district to apply the law equally in student discipline regardless of family relationships with board members.
Board members responded in part by directing staff to follow up: board president and staff indicated Mr. Moten and other administrators would address individual concerns (for example, providing contact for Human Resources). The board also closed public comment and moved to the consent agenda and business items.
Ending: The public‑comment segment recorded vocal dissatisfaction from multiple community members about district leadership, HR responsiveness and legal representation. Those issues were not the subject of an immediate board motion during the meeting; speakers were told staff would follow up for individual matters.
