Crete-Monee Board Debates Member Travel Budgets Amid Rising Conference Costs

Crete-Monee School District 201-U Meeting | March 10, 2026

Article Summary: A discussion regarding the board’s professional development policy sparked a philosophical debate over the value of out-of-state travel versus the priority of continuing education for elected officials.

Board Professional Development Key Points:

• Current board policy allocates $4,500 per fiscal year for each member’s professional development and travel expenses.

• Board Member Janine Woolfolk argued the 10-year-old budget limit is outdated and restrictive, given the rising costs of educational conferences.

• Board President Maurice Brown expressed skepticism about the return on investment for out-of-state travel, questioning its value to the district.

• The board will review the individual and joint training budgets to determine if adjustments are necessary in future fiscal cycles.

The Crete-Monee School District 201-U Board of Education on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, engaged in a spirited debate over its own professional development budget, clashing over how much taxpayer money should be allocated for board members to attend state and national conferences.

The discussion surfaced as members sought clarity on the district’s policy, which currently allots each of the seven board members $4,500 per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) for individual professional development, meals, travel, and lodging. Any expenses exceeding that amount require a formal roll-call vote at an open meeting for approval.

Board Member Janine Woolfolk argued that the $4,500 cap is a decade-old figure that fails to account for modern inflation and rising travel costs. She noted that attending the required Triple-I (Illinois Association of School Boards) conference and one national event easily consumes the entire budget.

Woolfolk stressed that the board heavily prioritizes and funds professional development for its teachers and administrative staff, and that elected officials should be held to the same educational standard.

“I think that if we’re in education, we should be getting educated. We shouldn’t come to the board meeting week after week and say, ‘Can we do that? Should we do this? I don’t know what that is,'” Woolfolk said. “I just want to make sure that we’re embracing professional development for us as the governing board with high importance and priority, the same way we do teachers.”

However, Board President Maurice Brown pushed back, questioning the tangible return on investment the district receives when members travel out of state.

“There’s no way I go to a conference out of state and I feel like if it costs 3,500 bucks, am I getting value out of that? Me personally, I’m not getting value out of that,” Brown stated, noting that his professional background in construction doesn’t align with generalized educational seminars. “What am I going to come back with for the value of the money that’s going to be spent?”

Brown added that he has yet to see a specific district-wide initiative implemented solely because a board member learned about it at an out-of-state conference.

Board Secretary Jamie Zite-Stumbris countered that the knowledge gained is foundational. She stated that during her first year on the board, attending conferences provided her with an overwhelming but necessary understanding of advocacy and student achievement tracking.

While the board took no formal action to raise the $4,500 limit, members agreed to review the policy and evaluate the district’s overall $31,500 individual training budget alongside its $14,500 joint-training budget to ensure the allocations remain appropriate.