Lindahl quits District 303 school board

The St. Charles Unit District 303 school board is stable. Superintendent Don Schlomann has hit his stride. And Bob Lindahl's St. Charles home is a bit more empty than he'd like.

Those are the reasons Lindahl submitted his resignation from the school board Thursday. The decision is effective immediately. Lindahl was first elected in April 2007.

Contacted at his second home in Door County, Wis., Lindahl said now was the right time for him to leave. His wife, Shirley, died last fall after a battle with kidney cancer. The two of them planned on retiring in Door County and had started splitting time between their two homes. Since her death, Lindahl has spent more time in Wisconsin.

"I really felt I couldn't be reliable in two places," he said.

Lindahl is a former longtime employee of District 303. He served as a teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal and director of facilities. That last role gave him a detailed knowledge of the district's buildings and created a bit of intrigue because of the timing of his resignation. Less than 24 hours earlier, about 500 district residents took a straw poll that said they want all 17 buildings either rebuilt or renovated.

Lindahl did not attend the straw poll and said his resignation has nothing to do with the results or the potential for a tax increase referendum in April.

Lindahl said the board should pay close attention to the results of the straw poll and a phone poll in January before deciding if a tax increase is appropriate.

"I think, overall, the structure and mechanics of the buildings have been able to be in pretty good condition over the years," Lindahl said. "But technology access, air conditioning, ventilation - those are big-ticket items, and you need to take a look at that. It's kind of like putting a new air conditioner in a '55 Buick. To what extent do you do that?

"I've been around long enough that I still look at some of those schools as fairly new buildings, but they're not," Lindahl continued. "You do get a degree of obsolescence, and you have to think about it."

Lindahl's resignation allows voters to fill his seat at the April 2009 election instead of having the school board appoint someone. An interim appointee will be made to his seat before then. The district office is accepting resumes until Dec. 4.