District 39 Responds to Referendum Lawsuit

A day after , school officials have fired back, saying they are "disappointed with the filing of [the] meritless" complaint.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the school board said the claim made by Herb Sorock and Taxpayers United of America "has no foundation in fact and will only waste taxpayer money as the District and the Board must defend themselves."

Yesterday, Sorock and TUA  filed a lawsuit in Cook County court alleging the wording on the ballot question intentionally misled voters and underestimated the impact on taxpayer wallets. According to the complaint:

The suit alleges the Board and its members knew before the election that the estimated tax increase was understated, but decided to go forward with the referendum regardless. Wilmette and at least nine other school districts understated the property tax increase by failing to include the equalizer applicable to all Cook County property tax bills.

Meanwhile District 39's letter assures that legal advice was followed when writing the ballot to ensure compliance with state laws.  District officials went on to write that "it is unfortunate that we must now expend valuable time and money that should be used for the benefit of our students.”

A copy of the full letter accompanies this story.