Dist. 37 board members won't resign

Three board members who approved illegal action by the former board president refused to resign from the Gavin School District 37 board.

Steve Moulis, Kristine Johnson and board president Phil Mack all defiantly refused to step down from the board Monday despite approving a vote last year that was deemed illegal last month by a Lake County Circuit Court Judge.

In fact, in an ironic twist, Moulis was elected board vice president Monday. Mack, the former vice president, moved up to president.

The shuffling took place after former president Barb Mende was kicked off the board for being convicted of bid stringing, a felony that could put her behind bars for up to three years.

Board member Connie Thorsen called for all three board members to step down, telling them they were condoning illegal activity among students because they all backed Mende as she skirted the laws required for bidding out work.

"How could you rule on any disciplinary action against students when you sit here and support an illegal action like this?" she said. "By not resigning, you are telling students it is OK for them to commit crimes."

Mende was found guilty of illegally stringing bids together when she negotiated in January 2006 with 5-Alarm Movers of Park Ridge to move furniture back into Gavin Central School in Ingleside.

The school had been unoccupied for 18 months because of serious structural concerns when the situation took place. When the repairs were finished, Mende personally contracted 5-Alarm to move furniture back into the facility, then asked the moving company to split the bids in two separate invoices to avoid the bid process. But, because the original invoice was $13,000, and all bids over $10,000 must go through the competitive bid process, the judge said Mende intentionally avoided the bid process by splitting the invoice in two.

Then, after splitting the bids, she called board members to approve the decision. Mack, Moulis and Johnson all approved the payments made.

Moulis said the three did not know the move was illegal, and that they were acting swiftly to get the school open on behalf of children.

"We did not break the law," he said. "We did what we felt was in the best interests of students."

But, Thorsen said, not only did the beleaguered board members know about the law, but they ignored it when told the move was illegal.

"You are telling people that its OK to break the law," she said. "You are telling students you will support them if they do break the law. You three should resign."

Superintendent John Ahlemeyer said the district will be accepting applications for anyone in the area who wants to serve on the board. They are hoping to make a decision by July 8.