Jillian Barker tapped to serve as District 303 School Board president Jillian Barker
The St. Charles school board has new leadership.
At Monday s special school board meeting, Jillian Barker was tabbed as the new St. Charles school board president by the majority of board members. Barker was first elected to the board in 2019.
Board member Heidi Fairgrieve, who won reelection to the board last month, was chosen by the majority of board members as vice president. Dist. 303 school board members Ed McNally and Carolyn Waibel also won reelection to the board.
At the meeting, outgoing St. Charles School Board President Nick Manheim, who did not run for reelection, was recognized for his 10 years of service on the board. Waibel noted his many accomplishments while on the board, including helping forge a partnership between the St. Charles Park District and the school district to manage the Norris Recreation Center as well as for pushing forward a $50 million project
Updated 2/23/2021 6:44 PM
The St. Charles Unit District 303 school board has appointed Joseph Lackner to fill a seat vacated last month by the resignation of Michael Bryant.
Twenty-two people applied for the position, and seven finalists were interviewed by current board members at Monday s meeting. The board members discussed the interviews during closed session and notified the candidates of the decision on Tuesday.
Lackner, a management consultant with Ernst and Young, emerged from the pack and will be seated at the board s March 8 meeting. We are excited to have Mr. Lackner join the Community Unit School District 303 school board and believe that his professional experience and personal qualities will be a welcome addition, said School Board President Nick Manheim in a statement.
Updated 2/11/2021 7:37 PM
Angry about a string of decisions made on behalf of students in St. Charles, notably regarding plans for in-person learning, a group called D303 Move Forward has begun a campaign to recall all but one member of the St. Charles Unit District 303 school board.
Because there is no statute enabling a recall of locally elected officials, the organization is asking the board members to resign and is following state regulations for recalling the governor. Once the group finishes collecting signatures, the petition will be filed with the Kane County recorder s office and submitted to the election board for a hearing.
District 303 school board president responds to comment about harassment from residents St. Charles Unit District 303 School Board President Nick Manheim
Updated 1/20/2021 9:02 PM
St. Charles Unit District 303 School Board President Nick Manheim said he stood by Vice President Carolyn Waibel s right to express her opinion about harassment she says she s endured from residents but stressed her Jan. 11 comments don t reflect board opinion. While each board member has the right to express his or her thoughts, opinions and experiences, as Ms. Waibel did that evening, comments on behalf of the school board only come from the board president, Manheim wrote in a statement released Tuesday.
Michael Bryant resigned from the St. Charles Unit District 303 school board before Monday s regular monthly meeting, sparking a colleague to speak out about the harsh treatment board members have endured from the community.