District 113A President Asks Board to Reinstate Spokesperson Privileges

Mike Aurelio, president of the Board of Education, asked board members Tuesday night to reverse a vote last month that revoked his ability to serve as the district's official spokesperson to the media.

During the board's monthly business meeting Tuesday, Board Member Kevin Doherty, chairperson of the district's policy committee, went through a first reading of policies to be adopted, amended or removed.

One of the recommendations was to update Policy 2:110 (Qualifications, Term and Duties of Board Officers) to reflect action taken Aug. 10, when the from the list of duties assigned to the president.

Doherty, Board Vice President Dave Molitor, Board Secretary Cindy Kelly, and Board Member Lisa Wright voted in favor of the motion, while Aurelio and Board Members Al Malley and Karen Siston voted against.

Aurelio asked the board to reconsider the decision Tuesday night.

"I'd like to think those times have passed," Aurelio said. "That duty is important for president to have and over past couple weeks notice limitations from the change to that policy."

During the board's special meeting Aug. 10, Aurelio's responsibilities as the district's spokesperson came under fire by Wright, who questioned why he "forbade" District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker from issuing a press release on the filed against the district last December.

After the court ruling was made July 27, Aurelio informed Ricker via email that he felt it "was not in the board's best interest" to issue a press release regarding the lawsuit since it did not involve the majority of the board, Wright said.

Wright told Aurelio she and others thought it was appropriate to send out a press release because the lawsuit involved district business.

Aurelio said he offered his opinion on the matter—that sending a press release would not be in the board's best interest—but never directed Ricker to stop drafting anything. The lawsuit .

During the special meeting, a motion was put forth by Kelly to nominate Wright as District 113A's new spokesperson. The motion was approved 4-2, with Aurelio and Siston voting no. Malley abstained from the vote.

Siston and Malley again lent their support to Aurelio on Tuesday night.

"The president served as a good spokesperson when he met with the senator and helped combat the FOP," Siston said. "It's his job to be able to do that."

Malley said "there is no reason to change the policy" because it has worked "for years and years."

"We need to put those times behind us," he said.

Doherty asked that the matter be discussed during next month's board meeting, while Wright declined to comment. Kelly said she is "good with the way things are now.

Molitor agreed, adding that the modification gives the board some flexibility on who can speak on behalf of the district.

"You say times are behind us, but I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with timing," Molitor said. "I think it has to do with the fact that the board assigned someone who can best speak in the interest of the district."

Aurelio agreed to delay further discussion until the next meeting, but again urged the board to reconsider.

"Linear logic would say that if you were comfortable sending me down to the state board and having me sit down in front of elected officials in an extremely important situation, speaking to the press (should be allowed)," he said.

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Editor's Note

At 11:20 a.m. Friday, I made the decision to take down the poll that was previously attached to this story. I want to take a minute to explain why.

Polls are commonly used across many news sites. It's a new feature on Patch that I was actually really excited to try out for the first time. Because this is an either-or issue that has been debated in the community, I thought it was a good opportunity. At the time, I was not aware that readers would have the ability to vote more than once.

As the editor of Lemont Patch, I'm always looking for new ways to engage readers and spark discussion in a meaningful, constructive way. I thought that the poll would just give people an opportunity to express how they felt about the issue — once. It has become clear, however, that this particular issue has been divisive and emotional. This poll is not constructive.

To be clear, I chose to remove the poll altogether because I did not want to be accused of waiting until a particular side had the majority before I shut down voting.

Again, I apologize for thinking a simple poll would be just that — a simple poll. There are important stories to be told as the school year moves forward in District 113A and I will remain focused on that.

Have a nice weekend,

Amanda Luevano

Editor, Lemont Patch