Waukegan board pauses terminations after confusing vote, pulls several cases for later review

The Waukegan CUSD 60 Board of Education moved on Monday to delay action on several staff terminations after an initial vote on personnel items ended in confusion.

Administration had recommended approval of appointments, resignations, retirements and a set of terminations contained on schedules F1002, L1949, T317 and G660. A motion to approve those personnel items initially produced a roll‑call result that the clerk later announced had failed and prompted a motion to reconsider.

“Reconsideration because I think things got…rush,” said a board member during the meeting, and after additional explanation the board approved a motion to reconsider. The board then agreed to pull all non‑certified staff terminations from the current action and to bring them back at a subsequent meeting for clearer review and a separate vote.

Board members debated both process and principle during the sequence. One member urged caution about terminating staff during an uncertain economic environment and said “confirmation or affirmation should go towards keeping our staff” when issues were remediable. Another said she could not vote without having had time to review the documentation.

Following the reconsideration, a revised motion was made to approve the personnel schedules with the explicit exception of non‑certified terminations; that motion carried on roll call and the held items were moved to the next agenda. The board also confirmed that remote participation by a member on caregiving leave would be permitted earlier in the meeting.

The action means affected employees named on the pulled termination schedule will not face final board action until the administration re‑presents those items with clearer documentation and separate consideration.