Schools

District 300 'Strongly Opposes' Newest Sears Legislation

Legislators are expected to vote on the Sears tax package this week.

District 300 “strongly opposes” the amended Sears economic development area legislation that was filed Sunday because key provisions of the tentative agreement reached last week with Hoffman Estates and Sears have been changed.

The school district, home to 21,000 students and the sixth largest in the state, said in a news release that these last-minute changes will “perpetuate the unfair tax shift from the village of Hoffman Estates onto D300 taxpayers for up to 15 more years.”

Citing six primary concerns with the newly filed legislation, Superintendent Michael Bregy called the legislation a money grab for Hoffman Estates.

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"We were so close to feeling that democracy still had a home in Illinois, and now we're back to square one,” Bregy said.

Today and tomorrow, District 300 supporters may be protesting near the Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates about 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., said Allison Strupeck, spokeswoman for District 300.

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“To be very clear, they are not protesting Sears,” Strupeck said in an email. “But through phone calls and visits, they will be asking Sears leaders to put pressure on state legislators to file another amendment this week so the legislation will truly focus on helping Sears, not Hoffman Estates.

The General Assembly is expected to vote on the bill, filed by Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, during a special legislative session.


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