Fenton fires back at village over referendum

Fenton High School District 100 board President Dorothy Lange wants the village of Bensenville to stay out of school affairs.

She says village officials and Village President John Geils should not have placed a referendum question on the Feb. 5 ballot. It asks voters to pass judgment on both District 100 and Bensenville Elementary District 2.

"We're very upset with the city," Lange said. "John Geils is interfering with another taxing body. Let him run the city. We're here to run our school district."

The two advisory questions ask voters if the school districts should support O'Hare expansion plans that will "lead to the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses in the Bensenville community by accepting cash payments from Chicago."

Because Chicago is planning to buy and bulldoze more than 500 homes in Bensenville to make room for new runways and other changes to O'Hare International Airport, it is required to reimburse schools in the acquisition area for the property tax liability of the acquired parcels.

The O'Hare Modernization Program is reimbursing District 100 and District 2 a total of $763,242.

But Bensenville village officials believe that both school districts are in violation of their agreement as members of the Bensenville Intergovernmental Group.

The group is opposed to O'Hare expansion.

Some in village circles say the school money should be turned over to the group to help fight the expansion.

"My understanding of the village's position is that Fenton expressed its position when it joined with BIG," Bensenville Village Attorney Gerald Gorski said. "It's not a matter of meddling with school district affairs. It's calling into question the districts' agreement."

But both District 100 and District 2 officials said this week that they plan to keep the money.

"I don't think you would get very many taxpayers out there that would not agree with us that we should keep the money and use it to educate the children," Lange said. "But now we have to spend it to explain to the public of Wood Dale and Bensenville what this about."

Responding to that complaint, Gorski said:

"Where they ought to spend those tax dollars is in the fight against O'Hare," he said. "Then they'd really be defending themselves."

Lange said the district is looking into the possibility of pairing with District 2 to send out a mailing defending itself against the village's charges.

District 2 school board President Patty Reyes said Friday that the board may consider mailing something out closer to the election.

"But as of now, we're not going to be doing anything," she said. "If we put out a piece, it would be a battle."