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District 225 reaches settlement in board of elections complaintAug 30, 2012 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A complaint alleging that Glenbrook High School District 225 failed to properly report the cost and resources used to inform the public of a November 2006 referendum has been settled, officials for both sides have announced. The settlement does not require any exchange of money, and neither party admits any wrongdoing, fault or liability in the complaint, originally filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections in May of 2007 by the group Citizens Organized to Save the Tax-cap. The citizen group alleged that the board of education failed to register as a "Local Political Committee," despite spending more than $3,000 making and sending communications that "advocated for voters to vote" in favor of the $94 million bond-issuance referendum. Voters in Glenview and Northbrook passed the referendum by a margin of 216 votes, according to the settlement agreement. District officials denied advocating for the referendum, and instead claimed any newsletters produced by the district contained factual information and were "made as part of a non-partisan activity designed to encourage individuals to vote," the settlement agreement states. "The board and employees of the district acted appropriately to inform the communities about a proposed referendum," district Superintendent Mike Riggle said in a news release. "It would have been irresponsible for the district not to communicate with taxpayers about such an important decision that would ultimately impact students, parents and our communities as a whole." The settlement agreement requires the district to publicize its spending of dollars and resources on referendum information. "The school district discloses in this settlement agreement that they spent over $60,000 in district funds, property and employees' time in connection with the 2006 referendum," the chairman of the citizens group, Lawrence T. Miller, said in an emailed statement. The expenditure equates to nearly three times what the political committee supporting the referendum spent, Miller said. "We think it is wrong for a government entity to spend taxpayers' money to pass a referendum that half of those very same taxpayers opposed," Miller said. District officials have posted the settlement agreement on the district's website, and plan to include a portion of the agreement in a fall publication mailed to all households within district boundaries. [email protected] ___ (c)2012 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |