Complaint: District used tax dollars for referendum campaign

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – An ethics complaint filed on Monday is calling for an investigation into whether an Illinois school district violated state law by using tax dollars to campaign for more tax dollars.

The complaint seeks an investigation into whether Palatine-based Community Consolidated School District 15, Superintendent Laurie Heinz, along with district-paid consultants engaged in prohibited political activity, election interference, official misconduct or misuse of public resources in connection with a $93 million bond referendum in November 2022.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois filed the complaint with the Illinois Attorney General, the Cook County State’s Attorney and CCSD 15’s board and ethics commission.

District 15 resident Justin Hegy said Heinz gave a presentation with flashy promotional videos before the referendum was approved.

“District staff were walking around in apparel that had the Moving 15 Forward logos on them, so immediately my red flags went up where I was like, wait a minute, how are they paying for this?” Hegy told The Center Square.

The complaint points to a testimonial attributed to Heinz for a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group.

“Paul Hanley and Beyond Your Base played a critical role in helping our large and diverse district pass a successful referendum measure in November 2022,” the testimonial said.

Citing information from a Freedom of Information Act request by Hegy, AFP Illinois’ complaint said Beyond Your Base was paid $35,925 by CCSD 15 through June 2022 for financial costs associated with the “Moving 15 Forward” campaign.

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Beyond Your Base was paid $5,540 on Nov. 4, 2022 by the political campaign committee “Yes for CCSD15 Referendum.”

Hegy said there should be a full investigation, because it’s clear to him that laws were broken.

“This is a line that you can’t cross. You can’t take tax dollars to put together a campaign to advocate for more tax dollars,” Hegy said.

Heinz did not immediately reply to The Center Square’s request for comment.

On its website, Beyond Your Base includes testimonials from numerous Illinois school districts and other taxing bodies.

“The passage of our $420 million bond referendum would not have been possible without Beyond Your Base’s strategies,” said a testimonial from Indian Prairie School District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley.

“Beyond Your Base was instrumental in shaping the information campaign that led to the passage of our $149.5 million referendum in November 2024,” Mundelein School Districts 75 and 120 Superintendent Kevin Myers said in another testimonial.

Hegy said Beyond Your Base has bounced around other school districts.

“They sort of capitalize on on both ends where they’re getting money from the school district to package up a comprehensive strategy and campaign to push for a referendum, and then they’re getting paid on the political side of things as well through the PACs that are set up to push the same referendum,” Hegy said.

Beyond Your Base’s website also includes testimonials about bond referendums in Joliet Public Schools District 86, Lake Forest Community High School District 115, New Trier Township High School District 203, Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 and other districts in Illinois and Colorado.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said some businesses near the Chicago Bears proposed stadium site in Arlington Heights pay into District 15.

“They’re paying a 7.8 effective property tax rate, and obviously the schools are a huge portion of that,” Costin told The Center Square.

Costin said the voter-approved bond was a lot more than a $93 million tax increase.

“You have to pay the interest costs as well,” Costin said.

Hegy says his family has seriously looked outside the public school system for education, but high property taxes leave less financial room for private options.

“Correcting the issues with our public school is priority number one, if we can do it,” Hegy said.