The Norridge School District 80 Board voted against an investigation of the board’s president, Srbo Radisavljevic, after a fellow board member claimed Radisavljevic violated board policy during the November election.
At the Nov. 15 meeting, board member Christian Giacalone said Radisavljevic violated a section of the board policy that prohibits board members “from assisting at the polls on Election Day … for or against any referendum question” by standing outside of the front doors of Leigh School on Nov. 8 asking voters to support a referendum question that sought a $60.6 million tax increase to demolish two schools and build a combined school in its place.
The referendum failed, with 77.1 percent voting no. A committee will be tasked with determining whether to ask for a new tax increase on the next ballot in April.
“We need to gain the trust of the community, and we need to be transparent,” Giacalone said. “So I’m suggesting we suspend his authority as the board president until the investigation is completed.”
The suggestion didn’t receive enough support from Giacalone’s colleagues when a vote was taken, however. In a 5-2 vote, Giacalone and board member Jennifer Paoletti supported the investigation, while Mike Bellafiore, Pasquale Biondo, Warner DeJulio, Radisavljevic and Cynthia Stec opposed it.
Neither the Illinois State Board of Elections nor the Illinois State Board of Education have policies that regulate individual school districts during elections, according to Board of Education spokeswoman Jaclyn Matthews and Brent Davis, director of election operations for the state elections board.
“ISBE does not have any policies regarding political activity of school district board members or employees,” Matthews said.
One Norridge School District 80 policy that was cited states that “no officer or employee shall intentionally use any property or resources of the district in connection with any prohibited political activity during any compensated time,” according to the district’s website. Radisavljevic argued that because he’s not compensated for his work on the school board, he couldn’t have violated the policy.
Some board members who opposed an investigation said the district, which is facing potential debt in coming years, could not afford to pay attorney fees.
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.