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Two more administrators will resign at the end of the school year as of the March 17 Peotone 207-U Board Meeting.
Resident John Maxedon addressed the board during public comments and not only questioned the board who was responsible for the culture in a school but encouraged the board to reject the resignation agreements until interviews had been conducted with the outgoing administrators.
A resignation agreement with PES Principal Krystina Lewis, who had only been with the district a year, was approved by the board with board member Tim Stoub voting no.
Peotone High School Assistant Principal Christopher Camerano also resigned, his effective date is June 3, 2025.
Both resignations left residents questioning what was happening right before the consolidated election in which four seats are up, and three incumbents are running for reelection.
Two new candidates also will be running.
Several parents also addressed the board regarding the ongoing bullying occurring in the Peotone schools.
Rachel Eglar, along with family members Karen and Tony Cantone, shared the story of how her child was bullied by another who gained access to change her daughter’s schedule to ostracize her. Eglar said the timeline from the report of the incident to action took weeks, and Eglar addressed that, as well.
Eglar continued to say the situation was not handled properly, and she was uninformed and silenced.
She added, “As a board and district, we need to do better, and I hope that someday in the near future the no-namers will be protected as well as the favored.” Eglar added that if a board member ignored this situation, they should consider if the role is right for them, and her family is being ostracized for telling the truth.
Jamie Bennett also addressed the board regarding her child’s bullying. Bennett suggested the common theme was “sweeping things under the rug.” She said she had previously addressed the board twice and nothing had been done. The bullying has changed her son, her family, everything she added. “Nobody feels heard. Nobody ever feels like anything is followed up on,” sharing that her child’s experiences were never addressed. She exclaimed, “Communication is non-existent.”
School Board Candidate Mark Jones addressed the board about frivolous spending for sports fields that are being scrapped, turnover, and math proficiency.
Victoria Theodossopoulos also addressed the board and found the overarching topic to be communication. She admitted she keeps up with all the parent communication but admits she didn’t expect to have to keep up with the school board, as well. She spoke about the homeschool policy and how it took several meetings for it to be placed on the agenda, only for the policy never to be issued to the public. She also said she received an email about participating in a committee or advisory board but never received a follow up.
After all the public comment, the board went about the business.
The IHSA membership was approved, along with the ‘25-’26 school calendar, and a new fund account for the Class of 2028.
Board member Jodi Becker voted no to a TruGreen contract to treat weeds on sidewalks and pavement for $14,057.76; the rest of the board approved the expense.
The budget was amended and voted to be on display. Board member Tim Stoub asked if the budget was being amended to cut expenditures. Business manager Adrian Fulgencio said it is not, and Stoub said that with a $4.5 million deficit and $10 million in bonds, the district will burn up the money in two years’ time. Fulgencio did not respond. The budget amendment was passed with Stoub voting no.
Press policies 114-117 were up for approval. The 300-plus pages of amendments were addressed in footnotes. Board member Stoub asked if the policy committee had a recommendation regarding the changes being made to the policies. Board member Jennifer Moe explained that a lot of the changes were just verbiage and legal terms. Stoub again asked if there was a recommendation from the committee and asked board member Jodi Becker if she was on the committee. She replied yes and an exchange ensued in which Stoub was told the policy committee meeting was a public meeting, and the changes were in the footnotes of the policies. Stoub suggested if the committee had no recommendation, maybe they didn’t need the committee. It was motioned and approved with Stoub voting no.
Personnel was the last action item and all approved except Stoub. In the personnel reports was the resignation of the PHS Assistant Principal and a third grade teacher, along with tenure status.
In the good news section, PHS student Aiden Siegel was recognized for being the student of the month, demonstrating the qualities of being supportive.
Kankakee Area Career Center students Madison Gename (Cosmetology), Nicole Stoub (Cosmetology), Paige Veen (CNA), and Julia Verble (CNA) were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society.
Brandon Weiss and Ruben Velasco, from the high school boys basketball team, were recognized for achieving 1,000 career points.
Junior high students Jakob Rodriguez (sixth), Elliott Casey (seventh), and Lily Mosqueda (eighth) were recognized as February Students of the Month.
The eighth grade girls basketball team was recognized for competing in the Class 3A IESA State Basketball Tournament, although none of the team was present. An administrator shared on social media that they didn’t think to communicate the invite and apologized when a parent shared concerns. The girls team will be recognized again at the next board meeting.
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