Dist. 158 board vet returns

Amid accusations that board members did not give proper consideration to all candidates, the Huntley Unit District 158 school board Tuesday appointed former board President Mike Skala to the open seat on the board.

The seat has been vacant since Jim Carlin resigned last month after serving only six months of the four-year term he was elected to in April.

Skala stressed his 10 years of experience on the school board and his connections with local politicians in his appeal to the board -- a majority of which were former colleagues.

"I can become engaged in the process without any learning curve," Skala said. "I am a known commodity. … My experience and historical perspective would help the board make better decisions."

During his interview Tuesday night, Skala said that because his wife, Carol, is the secretary of District 158's teachers union, he would not be involved in one of the most important issues that comes before the school board -- teacher contract negotiations.

"Because of her position, I would not take part in any discussions on the (union) in open or closed session, and I would not vote on the contract," Skala said.

Skala, who lost his re-election bid this year, beat out three competitors, two of whom -- Linda Moore and David Larkin -- also mounted unsuccessful campaigns for a board seat this year. The fourth candidate was frequent meeting attendee Paul Troy.

Skala will serve until spring 2009, when a two-year seat on the board will be open.

Before the vote, board members Larry Snow and Aileen Seedorf accused several of their fellow board members of making their decision before Tuesday night's deliberations.

Seedorf said three board members announced their intention of voting for Skala at the outset of the board's closed-session discussion.

"It's really unfortunate when you're listening to other board members say, 'I can only vote for Mike Skala,' " Snow said. "You really should have gotten a fair consideration," he said to the other candidates.

The others denied Snow and Seedorf's account of the deliberations and said everyone got a fair shake.

"I can assure you, each one of you was given thorough consideration," board Vice President Tony Quagliano said. "There was no predetermination."

Board President Shawn Green said he would make it a priority to release an audio recording of the closed session meeting to clear up the controversy.