Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Naperville CUSD 203 board votes to censure member after year-and-a-half of internal reviews
Summary
After six board self-evaluations facilitated by the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Naperville CUSD 203 Board of Education voted to censure board member Melissa Kelly Black. The measure passed 6–1 following public explanation from board leadership and remarks from the member who was censured.
The Naperville CUSD 203 Board of Education voted 6–1 on Jan. 7 to adopt a censure resolution against board member Melissa Kelly Black after more than a year and a half of internal reviews and attempts at remediation.
Board President Christine Gherke introduced the agenda item and told the public the board had worked with the Illinois Association of School Boards and held six self-evaluation sessions to address conduct the board says violated its policies, board agreements and code of conduct. "We do so to fulfill our core objective of acting in the best interests of our students," Gherke said.
The nut of the board's argument was procedural and remedial: leadership said repeated, documented attempts to address the conduct privately and in closed sessions did not produce the changes the board sought. "These policies, agreements and principles are more than words," Gherke said, saying a well-functioning board is directly related to student academic success.
Melissa Kelly Black responded in a prepared statement she asked be entered into the minutes. She said she received formal notice of the allegations Dec. 16, 2024, and that she received a copy of the statement used to support the allegations on the morning of Jan. 7. "I wholeheartedly disagree with the allegations and the opinions expressed," Kelly Black said, and asked the board to delay the vote so she could defend herself without revealing privileged material tied to prior self-evaluation sessions. She said if the board proceeded without that opportunity she would consider legal action.
Several board members described choosing censure as regrettable but necessary to preserve board functioning and student outcomes. "Accountability matters. Always," board member Kristen Fitzgerald said, emphasizing the board's obligation to model governance behavior. Board member Joe Kosminski said the evidence he had seen was "quite solid" and voiced support for the resolution. Board member Charles Cush said the board had expended significant time and energy seeking a less public remedy.
After discussion the board adopted the censure resolution on a roll-call vote: Gherke, Fitzgerald, Kosminski, Cush, Wahnke and McMillan voted aye; Kelly Black voted nay.
The resolution and related materials are available in the district's BoardDocs public folder, the board said. The board did not identify specific exhibits from the internal self-evaluations in open session, citing the remedial and confidential nature of portions of that process. The district cited the Illinois Open Meetings Act and the Illinois School Code during the explanation of process.
The board did not take additional formal sanctions at the meeting beyond the censure. Several board members said they remain willing to work with all colleagues to move district priorities forward.
