Oak Park Elementary School District 97 and Oak Park-River Forest High School District 200 will now be able to opt out of the Cicero Township Trustees of Schools office.
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The Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday overrode a veto by Gov. Rod Blajogevich that would allow the districts to pass resolutions to leave the office. The legislation also would allow River Forest Elementary District 90 to opt out of the Proviso Township office.
The school treasurer’s office collects, invests and disburses local, state and federal funds for area schools. Currently the Cicero office handles those responsibilities for Cicero, Berwyn and Oak Park schools.
A history of strained relations between the offices and the school treasurer’s office, and the firing of Matthew O’Connor, who had been treasurer since 2004, led to the legislation, said state Sen. Don Harmon, a Democrat who represents the Oak Park and River Forest area.
It is uncertain whether Cicero and Berwyn will leave the district. Cicero Elementary School District 99 and Berwyn Elementary Districts 98 and 100 would have to place a question about withdrawal on the ballot and a majority of residents in both communities would have to approve it.
Efforts to reach O’Connor have been unsuccessful.