Two complaints have been filed alleging political advocacy in favor of the April 1 sales tax referendum by McLean County schools.
Illinois election code prohibits public funds being used to support or oppose a candidate or referendum. Dean Fletcher of Bloomington sent a complaint Friday to the Regional Office of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education [ISBE]. It alleges a violation of election code through the April 1 sales tax website, which contained language in support of voting "yes" on the referendum. Fletcher included the media in his complaint email.
“It's illegal, it's unethical, it's immoral, in my opinion. And it's government-funded election interference if you really want to put it bluntly,” said Fletcher, who is vice president of the board of directors of White Horse Academy, a private school in Normal.
Initially the website included this wording: “School districts in McLean County are asking voters to approve a 1% Illinois County Schools Facility Tax.” Since the complaint, the website has changed wording from “approve” to “consider.”
“I think there were a couple of, there were probably one or two statements that probably could be interpreted as proponent, if you will,” said Mark Jontry, superintendent of the Regional Office of Education based in Bloomington. “And so I think districts looked at that and made some language adjustments based on that.”
Jontry was responsible for filing the question with the county clerk's office and the Bloomington Election Commission. He did not have involvement in creating the website.
The website was launched by Captivate Media, a motion graphics and video production company based out of Minnesota. Captivate previously worked to create messaging for Olympia’s spring 2024 referendum.
Multiple school districts were entangled when their district websites included links to the informational website. This includes District 87, Tri-Valley, Heyworth, Olympia, LeRoy and Blue Ridge.
“I think it's resolved,” said Jontry. “I think everybody needs to understand at the end of the day, when a school board does adopt these resolutions to put on the ballot, it's implicit that they're supporting it.”
Fletcher still hopes to pursue investigation into the matter.
“Prosecutors do not typically overlook crimes simply because the perpetrators attempt to undo their criminal actions once discovered,” said Fletcher. “Nor does the broader definition of election interference suggest that covering up evidence of a crime exempts one from responsibility and legal consequences.”
Fletcher adds this doesn't have anything to do with his involvement in a private school.
"We all pay our property taxes, and if you're a renter, the property taxes for your landlord are baked to your rent. So every single person that lives in McLean County is interested in knowing whether or not the school districts are breaking election laws. So that's really what I'm most concerned about," said Fletcher.
"I think we already pay enough taxes as it is. Specifically to the schools," he said.
If approved by a majority of voters, the sales tax in McLean County would increase by 1 percentage point for eligible items such as retail purchases, prepared food and gasoline. A $10 meal at a restaurant would cost an extra 10 cents. It would not apply to groceries, prescription drugs or services like getting a haircut.
Many McLean County superintendents said they hope to put the revenue from the school sales tax towards things like debt payments. This would allow for a decrease in property taxes, as it would replace portions of property tax revenue meant for that purpose.
Erika Reynolds, McLean County state’s attorney, said her office does not investigate matters unless no other agency is capable of doing so.
Chad Berck, candidate for Normal Township supervisor, also filed a complaint with the ISBE. A hearing is scheduled next month.
