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CUSD 300 board removes Nancy Zettler as president, elects Christine Birkett
Summary
After two hours of board discussion and roughly two hours of public comment, the Community Unit School District 300 board voted Oct. 2 to remove Nancy Zettler from the office of board president but did not remove her from the elected board seat. The board then elected Christine Birkett as president and reorganized officers by acclamation.
The Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education voted Oct. 2 to remove Nancy Zettler from the office of board president and immediately elected Christine Birkett as the board’s new president.
Board counsel Colleen O’Keefe opened the special meeting and reminded attendees that removal from an elected board seat is not within the board’s authority under the Illinois School Code; the regional superintendent handles that remedy. The board’s agenda listed two possible actions: removal from the presidency and formal censure.
Board members spent the early portion of the meeting debating whether Zettler’s private social media post and her subsequent remarks at the Sept. 23 meeting impaired her ability to lead the board. Several members said they supported Zettler’s long record of service while criticizing how she handled the fallout; others emphasized the governance role of the presidency and the need to de‑escalate public conflict.
After the public comment period — in which 39 people signed up and speakers voiced both support and opposition — a motion to remove Zettler from the office of president was moved and seconded. Counsel read a written resolution that said the president must be able to "lead and collaborate with the full confidence of fellow board members" and concluded that continued service in the role "is not in the best interests of the board." The roll‑call vote recorded the following votes as read into the record: Linmark — Aye; McKenday — Aye; Burkett — Aye; LaMarca — Aye; Zettler — No. The chair declared the motion passed and the presidency vacant. The resolution specified that the action did not remove Zettler from her elected seat on the board.
A motion to censure Zettler was then called; no member moved it and that proposal died for lack of a motion.
The board then held an internal reorganization. Christine Birkett was nominated and elected president by acclamation as the sole nominee; LaMarca was elected vice president and Tola McKenday was elected secretary, each by acclamation.
Steve Fiorentino, an absent board member whose written statement was read into the record, urged stronger action; his statement said, "I recommend the board holds her accountable by removing her as president, including all committee leadership positions in an official censure." Zettler spoke near the end of the meeting and said, "I'm not gonna apologize for my original post," and she defended the post as a private expression and a reflection of personal struggles she said she had been navigating.
The board adjourned after completing reorganization. The Illinois School Code and the Kane County Regional Office of Education remain the authorities with jurisdiction over removal from an elected seat; the board’s actions affected only the internal officer role of president.
