Mokena District 159 Board Divided Before It Gets Rolling

For all the recent talk of unity, the Mokena School District 159 board of education showed little of it on Tuesday, sparring into the night over the election of officers, term limits and committee structure.

Halfway through the meeting, board member Frank Ventura walked out, telling his colleagues he needed to get home to his children.

Ventura's exit came minutes after he interrupted fellow board member John Troy to say it was “parliamentary procedure” to make no more than two comments during a meeting and only seconds after Troy was elected board president. He defeated Scott Peters by a single vote. The measure drew applause from the back of the audience.

In his absence, Ventura was elected board secretary over newcomer Michael Ford. Troy cast a vote in Ventura’s favor. Joseph Spalla, another newcomer, was elected vice president over Katherine Moore, who has served two years thus far.

So what was at issue? For starters, Troy suggested the board shorten the terms of officers from two years to one year, with the possibility of preventing officers from re-election.

“There needs to be checks and balances with the relationship between the administration, the superintendent and the board …” he said. “The leadership is going to come from this board. If we succeed, the board succeeds, it’s going to succeed as a board, regardless of who is the president or not. I believe there’s too much emphasis put on who is the president of the board.”

Troy would later say he was speaking from the example of other school districts, and that he didn’t mean to imply there was ever a poor relationship between any Mokena 159 board members and administrators.

The line drew quickly. Peters said the board needed continuity and, given the difficulty of the district’s financial situation, a one-year term wouldn’t suffice. Moore continued that thought, arguing that positions are a “learning experience.”

Ventura called it “inappropriate” to prevent a qualified leader from continuing his or her good work. In walking the line between administration and board, and managing the “flow” of meetings, the president is in many cases “more constrained than a general member,” Ventura said.

The three newcomers sided with Troy. Shorter terms would allow more people to serve and in turn provide a greater diversity of opinions, said Patrick Markham, who won a seat by just five votes.

“We should expect change from everything but the vending machine,” he added.

Next, Troy threw out a couple of ideas for improving the structure and flow of information amongst committees. The district should create a single committee of the whole or allow more board members to participate, he said. It’s the job of the board president to appoint two board members to one of four committees, which produce recommendations for the board.

Peters admitted the district had neglected its facilities and extracurricular programs over the years and, taking up a point Markham made earlier, said committees should seek more opinions—rather than fewer—from the community.

Superintendent Karen Perry, acting as board president pro-tem, temporarily suspended the conversation after seeing Ventura get up from his seat, briefcase in hand. Other than the election of officers and agreeing to move meetings to Thursdays, the board took no action. Next week’s regular meeting is still scheduled for Wednesday.

Perry told the board she would research the legality of putting term limits on officers before drafting policy for the board’s review. She said she would also look into whether more than two board members can openly participate at committee meetings.

In the meantime, she asked newcomers Spalla, Ford and Markham to review board policies and which committees they would like to serve on.

Old Board Adjourned

Non-returning board members Denise Falbo, Tony Bruozas and Timothy King were given handheld bells in honor of their service. All three said they decided not to run for re-election in order to pursue their professional obligations and spend more time with their families.

King passed on making any parting remarks, while Bruozas said it was a privilege to have fought for what he believed was right. Choking back tears, Falbo concluded her time on the board with a stern warning for her neighbors.

“Unfortunately,” she said, “the tone of our community has become one of intolerance and negativity. At this point I plan to continue to work as an advocate for our schools, using what I have learned, but will do so in a more positive environment.”