Copyright Chicago Tribune
For the second time this year, Naperville District 203 School Board member Melissa Kelley Black has been censured by fellow board members for conduct deemed unprofessional and detrimental to the district. The District 203 board voted 6-1 Monday to censure Kelley Black, with Kelley Black casting the only vote against the resolution. Board members said they were taking a “highly unusual step a second time” because Kelley Black has not corrected her behavior since the first censure resolution was approved in January. The censure resolution is posted on the district’s website at as part of the board’s agenda. It states that Kelley Black made social media posts that divulged and misrepresented confidential closed session information and disparaged the superintendent and board members. In August and September, she posted multiple times about the district’s negotiations during the teacher contract discussions, the resolution said. The teacher’s union used her statements to insinuate the district was not being honest and open, undermining the district’s position in negotiations and harming its reputation, the resolution said. The teacher’s union started the school year without a contract in place and had set a strike date if an agreement couldn’t be reached. Board member Holly Blastic said the beginning of the school year was a stressful time for staff and families during the ongoing negotiations. A board member cannot act in such a way that might compromise the board or administration and must respect privileged information, she said. “The confidentiality is so extremely serious and so important to our fiduciary responsibility when we are negotiating a contract with our largest union group, and most of our budget is in labor expenses,” Blastic said. “To put out publicly at that time of heightened emotions for everyone information that as a board we cannot respond to, to acknowledge or correct because that kind of commentary is either confirming or denying confidential information, puts us in a difficult place.” She was one of two board members who were not on the board when the first censure resolution was approved in January. Board member Marc Willensky, also elected in April, said board members need to uphold standards and expectations the public can trust. “When those standards are repeatedly disregarded, the board has a responsibility to act,” he said. “This censure is not about differences in opinion or perspective. It’s about conduct that undermines the board’s ability to function and erodes trust in our work.” Kelley Black, elected to the board in April 2023 for a four-year term, has denied any wrongdoing. She said she did not find out about the resolution until the agenda was released and did not expect to be censured when she ran for school board. “I acted within my constitutional rights,” Kelley Black said. “Most of the allegations related to my public statements, which I shared concerns about transparency, finances and collective bargaining. Those are matters of public concern protected under the First Amendment and the Illinois Constitution. The Supreme Court has been clear: elected officials cannot be punished for expressing dissent or speaking out on public issues. Transparency and oversight are not misconduct. They are my sworn duty to the taxpayers who elected me.” She said the public has a legitimate interest in the transparency around teacher contracts. Kelley Black said she believes she is being silenced for speaking out and has requested an independent investigation be done by the DuPage County Regional Office of Education or the Illinois State Board Of Education on whether the board is weaponizing censures to silence an elected official. Board member Joseph Kozminski said he was disappointed the board was put back in the position. “The public voted us in and trusts us to be a voice for the community and to use our judgment in making decisions behind closed doors when needed,” Kozminski said. “So it was really disappointing and concerning to me this behavior has persisted. I hope that we can move forward and find a more positive place to go from here.” Shortly after the censure vote, the board asked Kelley Black to be a delegate for the Illinois Association of School Boards. She questioned why they wanted her to represent them if she “were so horrible.” Kelley Black said she would like to be treated with respect. “Don’t talk about building unity with me when you lie and throw me under the bus,” she said. “That’s ridiculous. And you know what? My message for those students out there is to stand up for your legal rights. If people accuse you of something, make them prove it.” Several board members said they want her to contribute positively as a member of the board, build relationships and move forward. In January, the previous District 203 board voted to censure Kelley Black for conduct that violated the board’s principles and ethics. Among the charges listed on the censure resolution were actions that compromised the board and administration by divulging confidential information learned in closed session and making false and disparaging comments about the board on public and private forums. Board members have also publicly called Kelley Black out on multiple occasions for failing to review bills and claims with district finance staff. The monthly responsibility is rotated among board members, but others have been forced to step in and do the task when Kelley Black did not during her assigned month. Over the summer, Kelley Black publicly alluded to recording a private citizens’ committee meeting without the members’ knowledge or consent, a violation of Illinois law. The district forwarded an eavesdropping complaint to the Naperville Police Department and the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office to investigate, but police determined that no charges would be filed and the investigation was closed. Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
