EAST ALTON, IL – The East Alton Education Association (EAEA) filed an Open Meetings Act violation with the Illinois Attorney General’s office after incumbent Connie Bailey sent text messages related to her campaign during closed session of the East Alton School District 13 (D13) Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
“School board members are elected to focus on our students and our schools. To blatantly disregard the law and campaign during a school board meeting is not just a distraction, it hurts our students,” EAEA President Pete Kleeman said.
The text messages were sent by Bailey to an EAEA union representative on Feb. 18. In the messages, Bailey requests to meet with the union regarding an endorsement in the upcoming BOE election where Bailey is running as an incumbent.
The approved minutes from the meeting in question show Bailey was in attendance and the board was in executive session from 7:48 p.m. to 8:49 p.m. The text messages are all time stamped and were sent during closed session.
“I think it’s important the public has the full picture about the folks running to support our students. We need candidates who understand the responsibility of serving on the board and who respect the electoral process,” Kleeman said. “We know that strong students, mean strong schools and strong communities. We’re recommending candidates that truly put students first, and who understand campaigning while you’re supposed to be supporting our students is illegal and doesn’t support anyone but themselves.”
The East Alton BOE has engaged in questionable behavior in the past, including:
- Hiring a private investigator to follow the D13 superintendent;
- Appropriating more than $300,000 in payments to three different superintendents at the same time;
- Repeated failures to timely replace school board members who resigned, which resulted in a short-staffed board responsible for pivotal decisions like hiring a new superintendent and bargaining with both unions in the district.
“We are looking to the future of our district and want to set ourselves up for success. As educators and staff who dedicate our lives to East Alton students, we take seriously our responsibility to recommend candidates who are committed to the success of all learners. Our recommendation process is thorough, transparent and rooted in our shared vision for a thriving school district,” Kleeman said.
The EAEA endorsed candidates are:
- Jennifer Chandler (four-year term)
- Blake Compton (four-year term)
- Jeffrey Hinkle (four-year term)
- Jacqulyn McCann (four-year term)
- Logan Sims (two-year term)
The EAEA is a union representing the more than 60 certified personnel, including teachers, social workers, psychologists and speech pathologists, of East Alton School District 13. EAEA’s mission is to advocate for the welfare of members, improve the quality of education in District 13 and serve as a voice for the nearly 700 East Alton students and their families.
The union encourages community members to seek accurate information about the candidates running for school board. The upcoming election on April 1 offers a crucial opportunity for voters to have a direct impact on the future of East Alton students’ education.
###
The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.
