The guilty parties are now seeking to lay the cost of their financial blunders off on the taxpayers at large.  We are expected to subsidize the follies of the guilty parties who had no concerns for “the children” as they embarked upon their unfunded growth mania.  The taxpayers must reject the two BBCHS referenda in order to force the parties into enacting a new fair and equitable school funding system.

  This election is not about building a new school, It is about getting the responsible parties to come together to develop a cogent and viable school funding system.  Our present system is broken and it will kill economic growth.  If the referenda fail then the school district may elect to go to  either two shifts or year around schooling.  Scores of districts are already electing these approaches to alleviate school congestion. These systems reduce school population, in the school at any one time, by from 33% to 50%

  The second BBCHS referendum on the November ballot has been billed as an $11 million dollar facelift to the present school plant.  This is a total misrepresentation. It is in fact, a permanent tax increase and asks the voters to lift tax caps by adding an additional .20% to their tax levy rate.  This means they will be billing the community a minimum of 15% more next year just for operations. The district has been  opulently wasteful in it’s operations spending. The State had to step in to stop their pension bumping program.

  They have already increased their tax levy for operating the district by 84.1% over the last 10 years while enrollment has gone up by 28.8% over the same 10 year period.  This means taxes have gone up nearly 3 times as much as enrollment over the last 10 years. Yet they are demanding a minimum 15% increase on top of the 84.1% increase they have already gotten. 

  BBCHS is guilty of violating the State Statute banning the expenditure of public funds in support of or in opposition to referenda. (10 ILCS 5/9‑25.1) Superintendent Hogan admits that they have spent money to produce and distribute materials promoting the referenda.  In addition, they are planning two open houses on school property to promote the referenda.  This is another expenditure of taxpayer money, in violation of the law.

  The Friends of BBCHS are very secretive about their activities.  In three separate communications with the group, I have challenged them to a public debate on the referenda and have asked what homebuilders have contributed to their funding.  Their response to my third request is from an e-mail dated September 15, 06:

  “Mr. Runyon, Thank you for your interest in our organization.  Debates occur between candidates who have been nominated by established parties competing for an elected office.  That is not our role and that is not what you are requesting.  I assure you the Friends of BBCHS has nothing to hide and we will file all reports as required by the State of Illinois Board of Elections in a timely manor. Friends of BBCHS”

  It should be obvious that if the “Friends” have nothing to hide, they would willingly divulge their funding sources up front instead of hiding behind the law that requires reporting of funding only after an election.  By their refusal to answer my question, It’s obvious to assume that home builders are helping fund the group.  It is also obvious that the "Friends" are afraid to open the referenda to public debate.  They are fully aware that issues have been vigorously debated in the area-particularly past public safety referenda.  The upward school tax spiral must be stopped now by defeating the BBCHS referenda and forcing the guilty parties to the fix the funding of school building.

  Reprinted here with permission from Keith L. Runyon, President Pro Tem , Concerned United Taxpayers.