Back to where he started
Lemon set to rejoin Dist. 33 board

By Eric Walter
Staff writer

A former West Chicago Elementary School District 33 School Board member is scheduled to rejoin the seven-member panel this week.

Bob Lemon, who served on the District 33 School Board from 1997 to 2001, is expected to be appointed to a vacant two-year term on the board during its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday,  May 1, at the Education Service Center., 312 E. Forest Ave., West Chicago.

For the last two \years, Lemon had been serving on the Community High School District 94 School Board but resigned two weeks ago.

Lemon's resignation from District 94 followed his transition from disability leave to retirement, which became effective
]an. 3, he said. Lemon, a former teacher for Community High School for 27 years, went on disability leave during
the 1997-98 school year

However, District 94 Superintendent Lee Rieck said a technicality in Lemon's retirement plan from the state created a
situation where "he could not be on the board Rreck would not say what the technicality was.

Lemon said "some mistakes" were made in the documents that set up a retirement plan in 1'997 that created the
situation that prompted him to resign from the District 94 School Board.

Lemon would not comment on what mistakes were made, but said there was only one way the situation could be
resolved.

"The only way we can solve it is predicated on my resigning," he said.

Lemon is working with the administration and School Board on a new separation agreement that would resolve the
problems created by his current retirement package.

Lemon recently notified the District 33 administration of his interest in filling a seat left vacant as a result of a ballot
glitch.

Four seats were up for election April 1, but the School District was unaware until two weeks before the election that one of the positions was for a two-year term rather than a four-year term, said Becky Koltz, District 33 community relations director. She said all the candidates had filed for four-year terms, therefore, there were no candidates for the two-year seat.

After School Board members reorganized the board April 3, they decided to advertise the vacancy and received only one application, Koltz said.

"The only person who applied for the position was Bob Lemon," she said.

Lemon resigned from the District 33 School Board in April 2001 after he was elected to the District 94 School Board.

"They have a position open on the District 33 Board. It looks like I'll still have the opportunity," Lemon said.

The District 94 School Board is considering candidates to replace Lemon, said Rieck, adding he does not know who
has applied for the position. He did say the board had received three applications. District 94 has 45 days to appoint someone to fill the remaining two years of Lemon's term, Rieck said. Rieck added the School Board is not taking applications from the public for the vacant seat at this time.

Former School Board member Gerald Landis, who was not re-elected April 1, said this week that he is not interested
in the board position.