Joliet Teacher Charged With Murder Still Paid By District 86

JOLIET, IL - Joliet Public School District 86 officials, including Superintendent Theresa Rouse, have decided to keep paying first-degree murder defendant Michael Kazecki his regular salary rather than fire him, Joliet Patch has discovered. By the end of this work week, taxpayers in Joliet will have paid out nearly $30,000 to the Washington Junior High School teacher who was notified six months ago that he is not allowed to be on District 86 property.

On Aug. 7, Michael Kazecki, now 39, was arrested by the Joliet Police Department in connection with the death of his wife, Becky, who taught special education at Gompers Junior High School, also in District 86.

Days earlier, Michael Kazecki called emergency dispatchers suggesting his unresponsive wife had suffered alcohol poisoning, according to police. Paramedics found her on the floor at the family home, in the 700 block of McDonough St. She never regained consciousness.

Becky Kazecki died at St. Joe's hospital on Aug. 7. She was 38.

The medical evidence showed that Becky (Brackenrich) Kazecki's head injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma, Will County prosecutors have remarked in court.

Related: GoFundMe Set Up For Slain Joliet Teacher's 3 Young Sons

In August, current Chief of Police Al Roechner said that two detectives, David Jackson and Aaron Bandy, deserved praise for outstanding work.

"I'm very proud of them," Roechner told Joliet Patch at the time. "This was a beautiful mother who doesn't deserve anything like this. They did an awesome job getting the facts and keeping their composure ... they're great at it."

But ever since Michael Kazecki's first appearance in court, on Aug. 8, the Joliet public school teacher facing first-degree murder charges has had two major developments go in his favor.

First, Associate Will County Judge Ben Braun opted to set Kazecki's bail at $2 million, which was 60 percent less than what prosecutor Jim Long sought. On Aug. 30, Kazecki was released from Will County's Jail after his parents came up with $200,000 to post as bond.

Meanwhile, District 86, Kazecki's employer since 2010, has decided that it is no hurry to terminate his employment.

Feb. 13 will mark the six month anniversary since District 86 mailed him a certified letter notifying him that he was being put on paid leave. (The letter was sent Aug. 13.)

District 86 officials told Patch they could not give a time frame on when the investigation regarding Michael Kazecki's employment status would be resolved.

District 86 did comply with a Freedom of Information Act request from Joliet Patch seeking payroll data and other material associated with Michael Kazecki's continued employment.

According to the payroll records, Kazecki has received a total of 12 separate paychecks from District 86 since he was charged with intentionally killing his wife in early August.

As of his last paycheck, on Jan. 18, Kazecki had made a grand total of $27,391 while on paid suspension.

Since Kazecki typically gets paid every two weeks, his next regular check of $2,289 could be issued this Friday, Feb. 1.

At that point, Joliet taxpayers will have paid the first-degree murder defendant $29,680 for not showing up for work while District 86 school administrators remain indecisive about whether to terminate him or bring Michael Kazecki back into the classroom.

On Jan. 7, Joliet Patch also asked District 86 to "provide access to A) any correspondence that was provided to Mr. Kazecki and/or his lawyers outlining the fact that he was being put on paid leave from District 86 and B) if the investigation has been completed, please provide a copy of those documents that were provided to Mr. Kazecki."

District 86's written response to Patch regarding that question was as follows: "The investigation is ongoing and has not been completed. Consequently, in accordance with item 2A of your request, we are not providing documents."

Theresa Rouse, District 86's Superintendent since July 2016, is one of the key people at the center of the Michael Kazecki employment ordeal. Rouse came to Joliet from King City, California where she was school superintendent since 2012.

Another key District 86 administrator involved in the matter is Cheryl Woods-Clendening, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.

Woods-Clendening was involved in the hiring of Michael Kazecki back in July 2010, documents provided to the Joliet Patch show.

As for the murder case, Michael Kazecki's next pretrial appearance in Courtroom 402 of Judge Daniel Rippy is set for March 11. Kazecki has been charged with domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery and three counts of first-degree murder.

Related Joliet Patch articles:

Joliet Teacher Facing Murder Charges Posts Bail

Teacher's Bail Was Low For Violent Crime: Analysis

District 86 Hires Theresa Rouse As New Superintendent

Joliet Patch Now Has P.O. Box For Your Story Tips

Mugshot of Michael Kazecki via Will County Sheriff's Office