Ex-referendum campaigner on Dist. 89 staff

A consultant who has specialized in marketing school tax-increase requests is working with Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89 -- a district that's seeking $24.8 million on the February ballot.

Cheryl Meyer previously advised successful referendum campaigns in Carpentersville-based Community Unit District 300 and Huntley Elementary District 158.

Now she's working part-time as the Glen Ellyn district's communications assistant, helping the district with newsletters, media advice and news releases -- some of which involve the referendum informational campaign.

State law prohibits school districts from campaigning for or against any referendum proposal, and only groups separate from a district can take positions on such measures. Meyer worked as a volunteer or consultant for the two prominent referendum campaigns in districts 300 and 158.

District 89 first hired Meyer last October, then renewed her agreement at the start of this school year. She's paid $45 an hour for about 15 hours of work each week, an agreement that's amounted to about $27,000 in payments so far.

Meyer says she has no direct involvement in promoting the referendum proposal, noting that would be inappropriate. But she said she has been offering tips.

And as part of her job, Meyer said she needs to "provide advice on how to present informational campaigns."

School districts are allowed to distribute information concerning a referendum, as long as they don't campaign one way or the other.

District 89's Superintendent John Perdue said Meyer is only a communications specialist and has no advocacy or campaigning role.

"Cheryl Meyer has not been hired as a campaign strategist for District 89," he said. "There have been no duties assigned to her in that area whatsoever, other than to caution us on what not to do as a school district."

When she was brought on board, it was the first time the district hired such a visible communications specialist.

Meyer worked on the referendum campaign in District 300 through her business, Campaign Solutions. That business first registered with the state on May 9, 2006 -- after Meyer completed the work involving District 300. In May 2007, she filed to change the business name to Cheryl L. Meyer Consulting Services Inc.

All payments made by District 89 to Meyer were done so through Cheryl Meyer Consulting Services, said Bernard Madden, the district's assistant superintendent for business and finance.

No business has been conducted between the district and Campaign Solutions, Madden said.

Meyer said that since her time with the District 300 group, she hasn't worked on any referendum campaigns and doesn't plan to do any more in the future.

"I wanted to get out of the school district referendum business," she said.

Illinois State Board of Education Matt Vanover said the decision of whether to have a district public relations specialist is made by individual districts.

"I think it's important for schools to be able to have that communication so that they can let parents, families, the public and taxpayers that they serve know what's going on within their district," Vanover said.

"It's a local decision that school districts have to make based on what is best for the community."