In the idyllic little village of St. Charles, Ill., school board relations have been anything but idyllic.

For months now, members have argued and fought about everything from alleged backroom politicking to redistricting.

The disagreements have stonewalled district business, polarized board members in the community, and forced the new superintendent (he’s only been in the job since July) to implore the board to stop the pettiness.

“We wouldn’t accept in our classrooms what you accept at this table,” Superintendent Donald Schlomann told the board at a special meeting in late July, convened specifically to help the public officials mend their differences, according to the suburban Chicago newspaper, the Daily Herald (www.dailyherald.com).

Unfortunately the meeting, led by a representative from the Illinois Association of School Boards, didn’t seem to have the intended effect. At one point, the state rep told the board they should all resign “so seven people (who) really care about this district can sit at this table.”

Ouch.

Days later, long-time school board member Chris Hansen did just that, stepping down from his post, conceding that the negative media glare on the board led to his decision. “I don’t want to be the focus and the focus to be on all the negativity,” Hansen told the Daily Herald. “Getting a board member who was on the board during some of these things to step down, that could be a good thing.”

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor