We'll Improve Transparency, New LTHS Leader Vows

LA GRANGE, IL – The new president of the Lyons Township High School board said last week that the board was committed to improved transparency and open communication.

President Jill Grech also said in an email to a school board critic that members learned a lot in the process involving the sale of the school's land in Willow Springs.

Grech became the president April 2 upon the abrupt resignation of Dawn Aubert, who held the position for about a year and said she was moving out of state.

By the time Aubert took the helm, the school board had abandoned its attempt to sell its 70 acres, which is next to an elementary school and houses, to an industrial buyer. The effort enraged residents in Willow Springs and nearby towns.

In an April email, Grech responded to Fred Whiting, one of the most vocal opponents of selling to an industrial buyer.

"As we move forward, the District 204 Board acknowledges and understands the overall community’s interest and emotion in the long-term plans for the Willow Springs property," Grech told Whiting. "The Board believes strongly in making decisions that positively impact all students in our school community, and does not place the specific interests of any one community over the others."

A day earlier, Whiting had written Superintendent Brian Waterman. As he has stated publicly, Whiting asked when the board and Waterman himself would apologize for the handling of the sale.

In his email, Whiting wrote, "My sense is Dawn was headed in the right direction, and now with Jill as the new Board President, my hope is LT can find a way to put this unpleasant chapter behind us all."

From January 2023, closed session recordings about the sale showed Waterman and board members strategizing to keep their effort secret for as long as possible from the village of Willow Springs and government bodies.

The recordings also revealed board members agreeing that industrial uses would hurt neighbors, a member pushing a conspiracy theory to explain the opposition, another member insulting the intelligence of Willow Springs officials, and the school's attorney expressing confidence that the board could successfully pressure the village to waive its zoning code. (The attorney was later ousted.)

For her part, Grech emerged largely unscathed with the recordings. They were released on the orders of the attorney general's office, which found the closed-door sessions violated the state's open meetings law.

At one point in the closed sessions, Grech described the comments from Willow Springs officials who opposed industrial uses as "bonkers." She contended the village wanted to avoid deciding on a request to change the zoning.

In his email to Grech, Whiting said that if the recordings had been released before last April's election, "the results would have been different." The two incumbents seeking re-election, including then-President Kari Dillon, prevailed.

"Now you appear to be in the unenviable position of having to defend this behavior," Whiting said. "How Waterman can maintain this leadership position, and not utter one word acknowledging any wrongdoing is disgraceful. Without a sincere public apology, our community will surely remain divided."

In recent months, the board has been considering seeking bids again for the school's land. But the board decided to halt the effort until after it filled Aubert's old seat.

The board now says it would sell to a buyer with Willow Springs' zoning in mind. The property is zoned for residential and small retailing uses.