District 113A Board to Use Superintendent as Official Spokesperson

The board agreed to use President Dave Molitor as an interim spokesperson after Board Member Lisa Wright stepped down from the position Tuesday night.

Nine months after removing the president as its official spokesperson, the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education has opted to reassign the responsibility to its incoming superintendent. Board Member Lisa Wright announced during Tuesday night's meeting that she no longer wishes to serve as spokesperson, a position she has held since the board stripped former president Mike Aurelio of the duty in August.  Wright's decision prompted Board President Dave Molitor to question whether the board should appoint someone to take her place, or allow individuals to speak for themselves and let meeting minutes represent the board as a whole. "I'd rather see us speak as one voice. I'd rather see one spokesperson for the board…

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District 113A President Asks Board to Reinstate Spokesperson Privileges

The board voted 4-3 in August to amend district policy and remove Mike Aurelio as the board's official spokesperson.

Mike Aurelio, president of the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A 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 board voted 4-3 to remove "official spokesperson to the media" from the list of duties assigned to the president. Doherty, Board Vice President …

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District 113A Board Removes President as Official Spokesperson

Board Member Lisa Wright will now serve as the spokesperson for the board in place of Board President Mike Aurelio.

The Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education voted during its special meeting Wednesday to remove the board president as the district's official spokesperson to the media. Following a heated discussion, board members voted 4-3 to remove Board President Mike Aurelio as the district's spokesperson—a duty enumerated under District 113A Policy 2:110. Board Vice President Dave Molitor, Board Secretary Cindy Kelly, and Board Members Lisa Wright and Kevin Doherty voted in favor of the motion, while Aurelio and Board Members Al Malley and Karen Siston voted against. 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 …

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Former District 113A Board Member Janet Hughes Sues for Access to Financial Info, Meeting Records

The complaint was filed April 28 in Cook County against District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker and former board presidents John Wood and Lisa Wright.

Janet Hughes, a former board member in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, filed a lawsuit last month claiming she was denied access to financial statements and recordings of closed meetings during her two-year term in office. The complaint was filed in Cook County Chancery Court on April 28 against District 113A Superintendent Tim Ricker, former Board President John Wood and current Board Member Lisa Wright, who was the board president up until the May 2 reorganizational meeting. Hughes, who lost her bid for re-election last month, claims the defendants have, without legal basis, "flatly refused access to verbatim recordings of closed session meetings, and denied her access to District financial records," according to the …

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Letters to the Editor

District 113A Board President: 'We're Moving Forward in a Positive, Productive Way'

The following letter was sent to Patch this week by Lisa Wright, president of the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education.

Dear District 113A Community Members, Last week I was encouraged to see so many voters come out to show such significant interest in one of our community’s greatest assets, our schools. I admit I am disappointed in the referendum result, but I fully respect the decision of the community. As a board, we are committed to moving forward in a positive and productive way. We will seek creative solutions to educate students while living within our financial limits and resource constraints. We will build on progress already made toward improving financial stability and accountability. We have already eliminated deficit spending, established and maintained a balanced budget, and adopted new processes to increase accountability and transparency. …

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Brian Thornber

12:37 pm on Monday, April 18, 2011

That's a good point. In fact, maybe we should make it our motto. We could put it on signs over the door of every classroom. "Lemont. Where you are lucky we've decided to pay your salary". We could put the signs up in firehouses and police cruisers as well. Just think of the influx of AWESOME public workers that would bring in! We'd have to fight them off with a stick.   more ›

Letters to the Editor

District 113A Board President Thanks District 210 for Financial Assistance

Lisa Wright, president of the Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Board of Education, thanked Lemont High School for its willingness to purchase $5.5 million in tax anticipation warrants this week.

On Monday, school boards in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A and Lemont High School District 210 approved a landmark agreement in which the high school will purchase $5.5 million in tax anticipation warrants from the elementary district in order to prevent state financial takeover. The following letter was sent to Patch on Wednesday by District 113A Board President Lisa Wright: On behalf of the Board of Education of Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, I would like to extend our thanks to the Lemont High School District 210 administration and Board of Education for their willingness to partner with and purchase District 113A’s tax anticipation warrants. Their willingness to purchase the TAWs demonstrates that this …

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Districts 210, 113A Expected to Finalize Financial Partnership During Monday Meetings

The school boards for Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A and Lemont High School District 210 are expected to approve resolutions authorizing the issuance of $5.5 million in tax anticipation warrants, preventing the need for state intervention.

 School boards in Lemont are expected to finalize a deal Monday night in which Lemont High School District 210 would purchase tax anticipation warrants from Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A in order to prevent a state financial takeover. The Board of Education in District 113A, which is reliant on short-term borrowing to pay its operational expenses, will consider a resolution during its regular meeting Monday to issue $5.5 million in TAWs to Lemont High School at an interest rate of 2.79 percent. The Board of Education for District 210 will adopt a change to its fund balance policy, as well as vote on a resolution to approve the purchase of the TAWs. The deal, which was announced in December, would be the first of its kind …

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Old Quarry Booster Clubs Already Planning for Next School Year

The Warrior Booster Club and the Lemont Band Boosters reported to the school board Nov. 8 that they will continue to support fee-based extracurricular activities in District 113A.

Despite the possibility of more budget cuts next year in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, fee-based extracurricular activities are here to stay. At the Nov. 8 meeting of the District 113A Board of Education, representatives from the Lemont Band Boosters and Warrior Booster Club updated board members on the programs and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining as many student activities as possible. "There are bumps in the road, but we're working through those things," said Brenda Douglass, secretary of the Warrior Booster Club. "…We're planning on being back here next year." When extracurricular activities were cut from the district's budget in March, parents formed the Warrior Booster Club in hopes of maintaining the …

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Dist. 113A Board of Education Weighs Possibility of April Referendum

School Board members for Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A mostly agreed Monday that they will need to try for another referendum in order to stabilize finances.

Following the $3.17 million in cuts made earlier this year in Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A, the Board of Education set three goals: balance the budget, increase revenue and rebuild programs. However, the district is again facing significant setbacks following the failure of an $8 million referendum last week. At their regular meeting Monday – the first since the election – school board members began discussing the realities of the district's financial situation and the possibility of more staff and program cuts. Board President Lisa Wright asked each of the board members Monday to share their thoughts on the most recent referendum and whether another should be placed on the April election ballot. With the exception …

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Attorney General Rules Dist. 113A Did Not Violate Open Meetings Act

At the Board of Education's meeting Monday night, President Lisa Wright addressed a complaint filed by a Lemont resident in August.

The Office of the Public Access Counselor ruled earlier this month that Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A did not violate the Open Meetings Act when officials asked a parent to stop videotaping a committee meeting. Lemont resident Laura Reigle filed a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General's Office on Aug. 23 after district officials demanded she turn off her video camera during a policy meeting Aug. 10. She argued that the committee was in violation of the Open Meetings Act, which states that "any person may record the proceedings at meetings required to be open by this Act by tape, file or other means." In her complaint, Reigle alleged that the meeting was called to order by Committee Chair Sue Murphy, a member of the …

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