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Schools

District 225 Comes to Settlement with COST Group

Following the November 2006 referendum, COST filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections alleging that the school district violated election laws by not registering as a 'political committee' pursuant to the Illinois Election Code.

Following the November 2006 referendum, Citizens Organized to Save the Tax-cap (COST) initiated litigation against the Glenbrook .

COST filed a complaint with the Illinois State Board of Elections alleging that the Board of Education violated election laws by not registering as a “political committee” pursuant to the Illinois Election Code. Both parties have agreed to a settlement, approved by the Board of Elections on Friday, August 24, 2012.

The Illinois Election Code allows public school districts to use public resources to provide information to taxpayers when a referendum is proposed.  Neither the Board of Elections nor the Appellate Court has found that the Board of Education or its employees violated any laws, as alleged by COST. 

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As part of the settlement agreement, the Board of Education does not admit any fault, liability, or wrongdoing. The settlement agreement is not monetary.  Instead, the settlement provides an explanation of how District 225 utilized its employees and resources to communicate about the referendum.

“The Board and employees of the district acted appropriately to inform the communities about a proposed referendum,” said Superintendent Dr. Mike Riggle.  “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." 

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The formal settlement agreement between the two parties, which concludes the litigation proceedings, is available on the district website at www.glenbrook225.org.  A portion of the agreement will also be printed in the Fall 2012 issue of The Glenbrooks, a community publication that is mailed to every household within the district boundaries.

“We are pleased that this issue has finally come to a resolution,” said Riggle.  “It’s in the best interest of our students, staff and communities to move on so that we can focus our resources, energies and efforts on our primary responsibility which is education.”

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