Sycamore school board needs to fill vacancy within 60 days

SYCAMORE – District officials have until mid-October to fill a Sycamore school board seat left vacant after the death of longtime Sycamore school board president Jim Dombek in August.

Dombek died Aug. 12 at age 68. He was remembered by loved ones and colleagues for his volunteerism and years of service to Sycamore schools and the greater DeKalb County community, according to his obituary.

Sycamore Community School District 427′s school board held an executive session this week to determine next steps. The session was held for the consideration of matters related to the selection of a person to fill a public office, according the meeting agenda. Closed sessions are not open to the public.

[ Longtime Sycamore school board president Jim Dombek dies at 68 ]

No announcements or votes were held as a result of the executive session. Sycamore Superintendent Steve Wilder said the board has begun searching for someone who can assume the vacant seat.

“In terms of filling the vacancy, the board is still working through that process. There’s a statutory time, the board has 60 days to fill that seat, and I don’t see any reason why the board won’t be able to fulfill that obligation. But after the closed session the other night no announcement quite yet.”

According to Illinois law, Illinois school boards have 60 days to fill a vacant seat. If that requirement is unmet, Regional Superintendent Amanda Christensen would be given 30 days to appoint someone to the vacant seat.

Eligible candidates must be a U.S. citizen and a registered voter. Candidates also need to have been a resident living within the bounds of Sycamore Community School District 427 for the past year.

However, because the board is limited to three members who live within Sycamore’s congressional township – an allotment already filled – eligible candidates must live outside of Sycamore township.

“There’s a limit that only three board members from any township in the school district, and so because we already have three from Sycamore township the vacancy that needs to be filled has to be somebody from any other township except for Sycamore township,” Wilder said.

Sycamore Pumpkin Festival committee president Cole Regnery has previously announced he intends to run for a seat on the Sycamore school board. He attended Tuesday night’s meeting. He said he was interested in the vacant seat, but wasn’t sure if he meets the township eligibility requirements.

Wilder said he’s also not sure if Regnery is currently eligible, but noted that voters will have the ability to change that aspect of board eligibility through their Nov. 5 general election ballot.

In June, the school board approved a referendum which will ask Sycamore voters in November to decide whether anyone in the district can run for a spot on the Sycamore school board, regardless of the township in which they reside.

Wilder said the vacancy timeline also is impacted due to the impending referendum.

“There’s this kind of timeline because the board has voted to put the question on the ballot in November, that was one of the things that we had to talk about to make sure we handle properly,” he said.