The District 203 Board of Education issued a censure resolution against board member Melissa Kelley Black at the Jan. 7 meeting. This decision was based on multiple violations of board policies, the board oath of office and board agreements primarily concerning Kelley Black’s Facebook posts. Kelley Black has denied all allegations presented in the censure.
The Central Times Editorial Board has reviewed remedial letters issued to Kelley Black on two separate occasions, and agrees with the vast majority of the board’s allegations against Kelley Black. We find there is evidence towards her violating board policies and her fiduciary duties.
The censure illustrates that Kelley Black needs to clean up her conduct, and fast. If her actions and brash decisions continue in their current course of direction, she will further harm the district, which will ultimately impact students’ education.
Although many of Kelley Black’s actions have had negative outcomes, they are usually well intended. She, similarly to the Central Times, appears to regard herself as a watchdog for the community and taxpayers. This is a noble cause and an important belief for an elected official. Yet, as a public official, she must hold herself to a higher standard and conduct herself with professionalism and thoughtfulness, which she has failed to do on numerous occasions.
Some of the most concerning allegations against Kelley Black include leveraging her position as a board member in non-board related matters. A school board member should never even put themselves in this position, yet Kelley Black has done so at least twice. These actions erode the public’s trust in elected officials and reek of both impropriety and malintent.
Kelley Black’s actions also included a possible Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act violation. The remedial letters also state she has harmed the board’s ability to function as a united body and show that she posted false and disparaging statements. We defend the right to dissent against the majority of the board, but her position also requires to accept and support the outcome of those decisions.
Ultimately, a lot of Kelley Black’s misdeeds could be quickly cleaned up by realizing that not everything necessitates a Facebook post. Her posts tend to be emotionally driven, and she routinely fails to realize the consequences of her actions. While she has expressed concern over her issues not being met through official channels, airing your dirty laundry to the public over every nitpick isn’t a recipe for success either. Kelley Black seems to believe that there are ghosts in every closet, conspiring against her well-natured intent as a board member. But this just isn’t the case. Her belief that the censure was used as retribution for her election involvement and interest mirrors this mistaken ideology.
Even if our Editorial Board shares some of Kelley Black’s frustrations with the district, we also try not to assume that everything has a boogeyman behind it. Instead, thinking critically and developing a well thought out opinion based on facts and logic is the approach to which we aspire. We then try to communicate clearly and with forethought behind our words.
Kelley Black should adopt these basic steps before she engages in a tiring line of questioning at a board meeting, skips out on Bills and Claims, or fires off a quick Facebook post. We hold our elected officials to a higher standard.
Administrators and staff are losing faith in the board as a result of her decision making, which will have a trickle-down effect on the students, who should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Now, more than ever, with agenda items such as the proposed school day changes or the district entering bargaining negotiations with the teachers union is a well governed board needed.
For the good of the students, we implore Kelley Black to set a higher standard for her conduct and grow from this censure instead of digging herself deeper into a hole of misconduct.