Dist. 200 superintendent's vacation continues, as do rumors

Richard Drury is still the superintendent of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200, and he is still on vacation.

But whether that will be the case when District 200 school board members complete a series of special meetings remains to be seen.

On Tuesday night, the board held its third closed-door meeting in less than two weeks. And like the previous two discussions on "appointment, employment or dismissal of an employee," no action was taken after the nearly two-hour session. Instead, the board continued the meeting to 7 p.m. tonight - 30 minutes before the scheduled start of its regular meeting at Hubble Middle School, 3S600 Herrick Road, Warrenville.

While board members have kept tight-lipped about who the employee under discussion is, most signs point to it being Drury.

Drury, who has been superintendent for more than two years, hasn't come into work since Sept. 22. Board members say he's been on vacation.

But even though Drury was granted a one-year contract extension in July, there have been widespread rumors that he is leaving the district.

After Tuesday's meeting, school board President Andy Johnson said some of the rumors that he's heard have been "mean-spirited and totally unprofessional."

"That's been the horrible part about this whole thing," he said. "Nasty rumors that are just totally uncalled for."

When asked about why there's been little information released about what's happening, Johnson said: "Things have to be done in closed session that have to be done in closed session. And those things take time."

Drury: Board stays mum