Dupage Policy Journal

EO Sullivan and Cor Strategies have teamed up again to try to pass a $151.5 million referendum—the largest in the history of the school district—that would raise property taxes for residents of Wheaton and Warrenville. 

The two entities have been hired by Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200) Wheaton-Warrenville to pass their referendum in this November's election. 

EO Sullivan is owned by former Republican State Rep. Ed Sullivan, of Mundelein, who represented the north suburbs for 14 years.  

Cor Strategies identifies itself as the "largest center-right political company in Illinois" in promotional materials.  

Cor Strategies previously worked with the Congressional campaigns of Michael Koolidge and Keith Pekau, with both candidates losing in the 2022 elections. 

In a joint info graphic, EO Sullivan and Cor Strategies say they have secured $765.3 million for schools and community colleges through 12 referendums since 2018. 

School referendums typically raise property taxes—something that Sullivan, as a state representative, voted to freeze.

According to information received from Freedom of Information Act requests, EO Sullivan has been paid $72,500 from CUSD 200 taxpayers to sell the referendum to voters. 

EO Sullivan was paid to prepare materials for the community presentations and conduct a survey in support of the referendum. 

Cor Strategies is "running the campaign" to sell the referendum to the voters, according to former state representative Jeanne Ives, who saw Sullivan at a community meeting and asked what he and Colin Corbett, president of Cor Strategies were doing at her local middle school.

"Frankly, I was shocked to hear that these Republicans were in the business of selling property tax increases to voters,” former state legislator and gubernatorial candidate Jeanne Ives said in a statement. 

“We are supposed to be the party of low taxes, less government and property taxes are the number one complaint of most residents in Illinois. What's also appalling is that the school district can't convince the people on their own to vote for their plan. They literally hired campaign operatives to sell the referendum, that's how disconnected they are to most people in the district," Ives said. 

In other promotional materials, EO Sullivan and Cor Strategies tout their success in passing a referendum for CUSD 200 in 2018 after those from 2013 and 2017 failed. 

The 2018 referendum only came about after the school district attempted to build a new school without voter input. 

That's illegal. 

Subsequently, the district was forced to put the referendum to the people. 

Also, the new school was built using a legally questionable lease agreement in which lease payments were made out of operating funds with no additional bonding authority. Only then did the voters approve the construction.

Since 2019, the per student spending at CUSD 200 has increased by over 30%.

The school district had three different funding scenarios when they started the process. 

Their survey showed voters wanted the highest funding of $151.5 million. 

With interest, financial analysis shows the referendum will cost at least $210 million if they use 15-year bonds, while 20-year bonds will cost $236 million.

The money will go to upgrade and expand three middle schools. All middle schools are currently on average less than 70% occupied. 

CUSD 200 has four middle schools. 

In 2009, Hubble Middle School was built at a cost of $58 million. It is not receiving any money from the proposed referendum and represents the “21st century school” the district wants the other middle schools to look like. 

Hubble Middle school is currently 62% occupied and has the lowest test scores of all middle schools in the district. 

According to the Illinois State Board of Education report card, at Hubble Middle School only 56% of students are at grade level in English Language Arts and only 31% of students are at grade level in Math.

Architectural costs for the redesign and expansion of the middle schools have already cost taxpayers over $450,000 dollars and may be as high as $770,000.