Board dispute over bills-and-claims, minutes and audit erupts; $36.37 million in warrants approved 6–1

At the Jan. 21, 2025 Naperville CUSD 203 Board of Education meeting, a lengthy and often heated exchange unfolded after Board member Melissa Kelly Black said she would not take part in the board’s rotating monthly bills-and-claims review, citing unanswered budget and audit questions and a personal unwillingness to sign off on district expenditures she did not consider sufficiently documented.

The discussion began after the board moved into open session and reached the consent agenda. Board members identified a rotating schedule for bills-and-claims review that had been sent to members in August 2024. According to board discussion, an email confirming materials was sent to board members at 1:51 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2025. Several members said the assigned board member had declined to participate; others said the board’s longstanding practice requires members to perform assigned duties.

“I am not going to put my name on something if I don't feel it's accurate information,” Board member Melissa Kelly Black said, explaining that her concern was both about access to answers on audit questions and about signing a fiduciary attestation before she was satisfied the information was correct.

Other board members criticized her decision. One board member called opting out “shirking responsibility,” noting that other members had performed the…