Kankakee School District 111 Paid $6,515 Fine For Kathy Yancy-Smith After Quo Warranto Filed By State’s Attorney –

Kankakee, Ill. (ECWd) –

Kankakee School District 111 Board Member Kathy Yancy-Smith failed to file her Statement of Economic Interest by May 1st and continued her failure to file, which incurred a $100 per day fine. She was notified of her obligation to file an SEI by email on February 18, March 31, and April 24 of 2026. She was notified that she failed to file on May 6, 2026, by certified mail.

According to public records provided to us from the school district:

• On June 9, 2026, a Quo Warranto Complaint was filed by Assistant State’s Attorney John Coghlan on behalf of State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, naming Yancy-Smith as defendant, asking the Court to Order her forfeiture of office and pay the costs of the prosecution.
• On Jun 30, 2026, Yancy-Smith appeared in court and stated she needed to hire an attorney. Outside the courtroom, she was advised by the ASA that the fine was (at that time) $2,100 and would be an acceptable resolution of the suit. She failed again, which increased the fine to $6,515.
• On August 4, 2026, Yancy-Smith forwarded the emailed March 31st reminder of mandatory SEI filing from the County Clerk to the School Superintendent, Dr. Teresa Lance.
• On August 10, 2026, the School Board voted (read this article) during an open meeting to pay the fine of a board member for a tardy Statement of Economic Interest. There was no dollar amount discussed and there was no mention of which board member owed the fine – and neither the name nor dollar amount was listed on the meeting agenda. We will address this portion with the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor as alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act, Section 2.02(c) – Read (this and this).
• On August 14, 2026, a Motion for Default was filed with the court asking for her to be removed from office.
• On August 19, 2026, the Kankakee School District 111 paid the individual fine of $6,515 on behalf of School Board Member Yancy-Smith.

We urge any resident of District 111 to file an Ethics Complaint with the proper Ethics Commission or Ethics Officer and urge all residents of the District to demand that Yancy-Smith reimburse the district for their wrongful misappropriation of school district funds.

According to statutory requirements, forfeiture of office in mandatory and should still be pursued.