Will County Gazette

The Beecher Community Unit School Board has an abrupt vacancy.

At their Feb. 13 meeting, the Beecher 200U school board opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call as usual, and then the floor was given to board secretary Janet Paulmeier, who made a statement. Paulmeier served one term on the board from 2015-2019 and was reelected, serving her second term. 

Paulmeier addressed the audience, saying that she knew at this meeting there were going to be comments made by community members asking for her to resign from the board. She claimed the comments were based on a video taken of her dancing at a local establishment a few months ago and posted on social media. She resigned effective immediately, delivering her speech before leaving the meeting. 

"I've done good work on this board," Paulmeier said in the meeting. "We may have not met eye to eye on everything, but the bottom line is we do what's right for our children and for our staff. To my fellow board members who will remain on the board after the election, please keep up the good work. Let it be known again that I have the last word, and you do not. You did not win. I did. I did this because without naming names, people can read in between the lines and I no longer have to remain silent."

In her statement, Paulmeier also claimed that there were many people in the community who had such hate and negativity that they would stoop to picking apart her personal life, which is no one’s business. She said that there was a current board member working with other former board members in the effort against her, and that she would not stand for it any longer. She asked that if the district is against bullying in the schools, then why were they allowing her to be bullied? 

After concluding her statement, Paulmeier resigned, stood up and gave board president Julie Papas a hug, then walked out.

The meeting continued with a public comment session. Two community members spoke about the possibility of choir being cut from school, but no one addressed Paulmeier or her resignation. The board voted Katie Gersch, a business manager, as temporary secretary.

The board approved multiple other staffing changes at the meeting. They accepted the resignations of custodian Elizabeth Urquizo, teacher aides Haley Trudeau and Vanessa Perez, and high school golf assistant coach Steve Sarsany. They approved the hiring of new full-time bus monitor Marcella Bivian, full-time bus driver Debra Moreno, teacher aides Denise Garcia and Elizabeth Pomaranski, and high school girls' track coach Jonathon Smith.