St Charles Board tables Erwin contract issue

The District 303 Board of Education met in closed session for about 75 minutes last night before their regular board meeting. But when it came time to vote on the ratification of Superintendent Barbara Erwin's contract amendment, the board voted to table it until their next meeting. After the regular meeting, the board returned to closed session.

During the citizens' comment portion of the agenda, a citizen expressed her displeasure about the amendment to Erwin's contract.

This from the Kane County Chronicle:

Superintendent Barbara Erwin’s future with the district is clear. What to do with an amendment in her contract remains undecided.

Come mid-July, Erwin will leave St. Charles for the head administrator’s position in
Kentucky; however, the current school board has yet to decide whether she is entitled to a provision in her contract to add 85 sick days into her pension fund.

On Tuesday, the school board discussed the issue behind closed doors twice – once before, then again after it voted to delay action until a future meeting.

“This board is struggling with trying to understand what the previous board intended,” President Kathy Hewell said.Hewell was a member of the 2005 board that approved Erwin’s hiring, extended her contract through June 30, 2007, then added the amendment intended to keep Erwin in St. Charles through June 30, 2010.
The amendment also allowed for a credit of 85 sick days at the beginning of each school year until July 1, 2008.

Since then, the board has turned over four seats, more than half of the board that approved the initial contract. Over that duration, the board failed to ratify Amendment 2, which would have extended Erwin’s contract through 2010 without question.

“The fact that it wasn’t ratified in open session was an oversight,” Hewell said.

Some of those new board members are questioning the logic behind extending Erwin’s contract any further and a few residents are hoping that the new faces
will save their tax dollars.“They may have been legal at the time, but that doesn’t mean they were ethical,” said resident Jenny Brooks, who pointed out that since Amendment 2, state legislators have placed a limit on sick leave to 15 days. “The terms were questionable; they are just plain illegal now.”

Although the board failed to officially approve the contract, Hewell said that application of its content since then inherently made the contract valid.

The school board plans to meet in closed session Friday. If the board does not take action following Friday’s meeting, the issue will on the board’s June 11 agenda.

Incoming Superintendent Donald Schlomann is set to begin his contract in St. Charles on July 16.

Erwin has declared that her final day with the district will be August 4. Erwin could not be reached for comment.

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Comments from Kane County Chronicle readers...

"Grampywatches" wrote on May 30, 2007 8:10 AM:
“The fact that it wasn’t ratified in open session was an oversight,” Hewell said. You didnt do your homework and now you get the 'failing' grade.... It is a null and void contract according to law.... deal with it. 85 days sick pay?? Almost three months?? Who dreams this stuff up?? with taxpayers (who you represent..) money?? "

"myidea" wrote on May 30, 2007 8:54 AM:
"And someone voted [Hewell] and Gaffney back in??? How fast can we run the super out of town? 85 sick days is way too many and we all pay for it with our state taxes. Rael voted NO on the contract, the right [thing] to do, where is she now? Oh that's right she didn't get reelected. "