formal complaint has been filed with the Regional Office of Education #17 by Dean Fletcher, a Bloomington resident, against several school districts in McLean County. The complaint alleges that Bloomington School District 87, Tri-Valley CUSD #3, Heyworth CUSD #4, Olympia CUSD #16, Leroy CUSD #2, and Blue Ridge CUSD #18 have improperly used taxpayer funds and government resources to promote a political agenda related to the upcoming Illinois County Schools Facility Tax ballot initiative.
- According to Fletcher, the Tri-Valley website home page shows a huge banner image of the ballot proposition with the april1cent political advocacy website address prominently listed:
- Also, on Fetchers states that on the Tri-Valley “Live Feed, the political advocacy website is listed;
- Fletcher states: “Leroy School district actually even states the political advocacy website is “our webpage”, explicitly claiming ownership of it.”
- Fletcher contends that Blue Ridge also has a post and links to the political advocacy website april1cent.info
- According to Fletcher, the april1cent.info website linked to on the taxpayer funded District 87 website explicitly petitions the voters to approve the sales tax proposition: “ On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, school districts in McLean County are asking voters to approve a 1% Illinois County Schools Facility Tax also known as a one-cent tax or sales tax. “
Fletcher claims that these districts have utilized their official government websites to advocate for the passage of a proposed 1% sales tax increase, set for a vote in the April 1, 2025, consolidated election. According to the complaint, the districts have directly linked to and displayed content from the website “https://april1cent.info,” which explicitly encourages voters to support the tax proposition.
Alleged Violations of Illinois Law
Fletcher contends that such actions constitute a misuse of public funds and a violation of Illinois election laws. Specifically, he references the Illinois Election Code (10 ILCS 5/9-25.1), which prohibits the use of public funds to advocate for or against a referendum or candidate. Additionally, he cites the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (5 ILCS 430), which restricts government employees from using public resources for political campaigns.
In his letter, Fletcher provided evidence of school districts displaying the political advocacy website on their homepages, including screenshots of banners and links directing visitors to the site. He highlighted specific instances, such as the Tri-Valley website prominently featuring a banner with the URL and Heyworth School District listing the site at the top of its homepage. He also pointed out that Leroy CUSD went as far as referring to the website as “our webpage,” suggesting a potential direct connection between the district and the advocacy effort.
Call for Investigation and Accountability
Fletcher has requested that the Regional Office of Education #17 conduct a thorough investigation into these alleged violations. He urges the office to examine whether taxpayer dollars have been used to fund the april1cent.info website, including its domain ownership, hosting fees, and content creation. Additionally, he calls for warnings to be issued to other school districts in McLean County that have not yet linked to the advocacy website, ensuring they remain compliant with election laws.
“Government entities, including school districts, should remain neutral on political matters, especially those appearing on ballots,” Fletcher stated in his letter. “Taxpayer dollars should not be used to support or oppose specific political outcomes.”
Potential Implications
If these allegations are confirmed, the implicated school districts could face legal and administrative consequences for electioneering. Such findings could also spark broader discussions about the boundaries of political engagement for publicly funded institutions.
As of now, the Regional Office of Education #17 has not publicly responded to Fletcher’s complaint. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for how school districts statewide engage with political issues and ballot initiatives in the future.
The April 1, 2025, vote on the proposed sales tax increase remains a significant issue for McLean County voters, with both supporters and opponents closely watching developments related to this complaint.
