Amid turmoil, Lincoln-Way District 210 board president quits, official says

Jan. 28--A day after blasting critics in his community as "animals," Lincoln-Way High School District 210 Board President Kevin Molloy announced his resignation.

Molloy's departure from the board comes at a time of intense scrutiny of the district's precarious financial situation and ongoing controversy over the district's decision to shutter Lincoln-Way North. The district was placed on the state's financial watch list last year.

Molloy, who works for State Farm, attributed the decision to resign to increasing strain on his personal and business life caused by critics in the community. He had served on the board since 2005 and became board president in May 2015.

"To those who were out to destroy my life, I am waiving the white flag and taking care of the people I need to take care of," Molloy said. "I apologize to my family for not walking away sooner."

Earlier this month, State Farm officials met with Molloy in his New Lenox office to discuss how this "firestorm" was affecting Molloy and the corporation, on the heels of a letter-writing campaign by Molloy's critics to corporate offices, he said.

"This was the moment, I knew the small army had defeated me," Molloy wrote in his resignation letter.

Molloy addressed the district's controversial decision to shutter Lincoln-Way North in an interview with the Daily Southtown and defended the board's move.

"Our decision to close North was based on facts, on what made sense. There was zero politics involved," Molloy said. "The one thing that gnaws at me is -- should we have known in 2007 that things were on the decline? But this is all armchair quarterback stuff."

In response to criticism that the school district was mismanaged and that the board did not always know what was going on, Molloy answered, "How could we have known? We all work full time. How could we monitor each employee?"

On Wednesday, the Daily Southtown reported controversial comments by Molloy blasting some of his critics in the community as "vile individuals" and "animals.

Molloy said his critics "lied" to State Farm corporate officials, telling them that he was using his business account to promote his insurance business and that he kept the Central and West High Schools open because that's where his clients live.

Some clients who live in the area of the North campus switched insurance agents, he said, citing a loss of business since the decision was made to close North.

Molloy said he was also harassed in public. While dining in local restaurants with his wife, people came by his table and took picture of him and his wife while eating, or turned their chairs to stare at them while they ate, he said. At football games, people approached him, saying personal things about his family members.

"They were playing mental games," Molloy said.

In an interview, Superintendent Scott Tingley said Molloy's decision to resign was his own but expressed disapproval of Molloy's remarks calling critics "animals."

"Those comments don't represent the board or the administration," Tingley said.

Still, Tingley praised Molloy's dedication and 11 years of service.

"He was dedicated and spent an incredible amount of time and energy for the good of our students and the district and our entire community," Tingley said.

In December, a community group calling itself Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite filed a lawsuit asking a judge to prevent the district from closing North.

Todd Velky, a spokesman for LWATU and the organization's treasurer, declined to comment on Molloy's controversial remarks but said the group took no pleasure in Molloy's resignation.

"We weren't out to get officials to resign," Velky said. "We were out to work with the officials as much as we can and we wanted to open up to that."

If the school district called and said "let's fix the wrongs here," LWATU would be open to that, Velky said.

"We still believe, with the right controls in place and the right people in positions, that we can still operate all four schools," Velky said.

Much of the district's financial crisis can be traced back to officials' decision in the mid-2000s to expand from two high schools to four. Officials cited projected population growth in support of constructing two new campuses, but some parents criticized the logic at the time and said the district should wait and see whether a fourth school becomes necessary.

While the population growth never materialized, two companies involved with funding the campaign pushing for two schools -- Henry Bros. Co. of Hickory Hills and Dahlquist and Lutzow Architects -- made more than $41 million combined as part of the project, the Daily Southtown reported last summer.

More recently, the Daily Southtown reported that former Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie created an obedience dog training center, called Superdog, without board approval for nearly $45,000 at Lincoln-Way North. Tingley said Superdog had "no student benefit" and said he wouldn't have done it as superintendent.

Molloy's resignation comes two weeks after board member Chris McFadden resigned.

Each vacancy must be filled within 45 days, but Tingley said he believes they can both be filled within the first 45 days. Those appointed will serve until the spring 2017 election, at which time five positions will be up for grabs on the seven-member board.

"Obviously the board will have to do some work to find two replacements during this time of transition," Tingley said.

"These are volunteer positions. What they are doing is for the good of the community. It's a very difficult to be in this position now," Tingley said.

"When we began this process (of closing a school) there was no question that people would be sad, angry and hurt. But emotions do not change the bottom line. We do not have the enrollment for four high schools. We do not have the revenue for four high schools," Tingley said.

The board "knows it still has a job to do," Tingley said. "We have to stay focused if we are to continue to be successful and provide the education that the community expects"

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