Schools
East Aurora School Board Declares Vacancy, Will Choose New Member
The vote comes five days after a Kane County judge declared Mary Fultz ineligible for the school board seat she won in April's election. Candidates for the open position have until July 29 to apply.
There is officially an open seat on the East Aurora School Board.
With no discussion, the members of that board voted to declare a vacancy Monday night, five days after a Kane County judge declared community activist Mary Fultz ineligible for the seat she won in April’s election.
The vote was unanimous, with the exception of Board Member Robb Hill, who was absent.
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Fultz, 45, won a seat on the District 131 board with 980 votes, but the school board challenged her eligibility in court. Records from both the Aurora Election Commission and the Kane County Clerk’s office indicate that she was not a registered voter in either jurisdiction on election day, April 5, as required by state law.
On July 13, Judge Thomas Mueller ordered a default judgment against Fultz, who, according to court records, did not appear in court and did not file responses to the school board’s complaint within the required time.
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Records show a copy of the summons and the complaint were left with Fultz’s mother, Beulah Fultz, on May 13, and an additional copy was mailed to her Aurora address on May 17.
Fultz said she was unaware of the default judgment, and has not received a call about it from anyone in District 131. She attended the school board meeting Monday night, but arrived too late for the public comment section of the agenda.
According to School Board Attorney Bernard Weiler, the next step is for the school district to advertise the open seat. That notification will go out tomorrow, and applications for the seat will be accepted until July 29.
Applicants must be 18, a citizen of the United States, and have been a resident of the school district for at least one year prior to the election.
The school board will then select a new member. Interviews will be conducted between August 15 and August 19, with a final selection announced the first week of September.
Fultz said she intends to apply for the open seat.
For more information on application procedures, call District 131 at 630-299-5550.
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