Resident Alleges Financial Mismanagement, Underused Buildings at Peotone Board Meeting

A Peotone resident and village trustee, Jim Bowden, confronted the Peotone School District 207-U Board of Education during its special meeting Monday with a series of sharp allegations regarding building vacancies, uncollected student fees, and misuse of district purchasing cards.

Speaking during the public comment period, Bowden claimed that Peotone Intermediate Center (PIC) and Peotone Elementary School (PES) would be 50% and 45% vacant, respectively, in the coming school year. He urged the board to transfer all students from the non-air-conditioned PIC to the newly renovated PES, which he said would provide a more comfortable learning environment and still leave the elementary school 18% vacant.

Bowden also alleged the district has failed to collect nearly a quarter of a million dollars in outstanding student fees. Citing a 68% increase in unpaid fees in the 2023-24 school year and a 57% increase in 2024-25, he accused the district of having an “unfair system” and called for other parents to protest by withholding their own fee payments until the district sends delinquent accounts to a collection agency.

His final accusation concerned the alleged abuse of district P-Cards, or purchasing cards. Bowden claimed a board member had previously questioned $25,000 spent in a single month when individual cardholders have a $1,000 monthly limit. He asserted that the district’s business manager acknowledged policies were not being followed and blamed the administration and school board for a lack of enforcement.

The board did not publicly respond to Bowden’s allegations, as is standard practice for public comment.