Melissa Kelley Black
A Naperville District 203 school board member has been stripped of committee and adopt-a-school assignments following allegations she improperly recorded a meeting of an advisory panel.
Documents reveal that Melissa Kelley Black was not assigned to any committees for the 2025-2026 school year.
Kelley Black, who was elected to the board in April 2023, was also not given any adopt-a-school assignments.
“While disappointing, I remain committed to approaching this moment with optimism and integrity,” Kelley Black said during Monday’s school board meeting.
Board members are assigned as representatives to different groups. Kelley Black’s exclusion from a committee came after a claim that she improperly recorded a meeting.
In June, an attorney for the school district filed a complaint with the DuPage County State’s Attorney claiming Kelley Black violated eavesdropping laws when she recorded a citizen’s finance advisory committee meeting without consent.
In a letter to the state’s attorney’s office, the attorney noted the finance committee is an advisory panel to the superintendent and therefore does not fall under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Kelley Black has denied any wrongdoing. To date, she has not been charged.
On Tuesday, a spokesman with the Naperville Police Department said the complaint remains under investigation and is with the Illinois attorney general’s office for direction. He did not provide any additional information.
Charles Cush
After Monday’s meeting, board President Charles Cush said he excluded Kelley Black from any committee assignments due to concerns over her actions.
“I felt that it would be inappropriate to willfully provide more opportunities for that to happen until that matter is resolved,” Cush said.
Kelley Black, however, remains in the rotation to review bills even though she has declined to participate in such reviews.
In a heated exchange during Monday’s school board meeting, Cush criticized Kelley Black for not participating in reviewing bills when assigned to do so. Board members take turns reviewing bills with district staff before the full board votes on the bills.
Kelley Black said she has declined to participate because she feels information, such as department classification or coding, is lacking during those reviews.
“This is not about me refusing to do a job,” Kelley Black said. “I cannot in good conscience approve and review financial claims without the proper documentation and controls that allow for meaningful oversight.”
Board member Kristine Gericke said that the district’s attorney provided a letter confirming the district is following proper procedures in reviewing and paying bills.
Superintendent Dan Bridges noted the district complies with standards set by the Illinois Association of School Boards and maintains a high financial rating.
Cush said that while she has not participated in bill reviews, Kelley Black has voted to approve those bills when presented to the board.
“It is a responsibility that you have walked away from,” Cush said. “You should at least step up to the plate and actually do the job of looking at the bills before you disparage the process.”
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