THERE ARE "INVESTORS" WHO WANT THE D303 REFERENDUM TO PASS

D303’s Food-Service Vendor Is Backing the Referendum. What Is Its Financial Stake?

Organic Life’s district business and ownership structure deserve examination

Kane County Speaks | October 2026

A company that already provides services to a school district may have good reasons to support improved school facilities.   Taxpayers may also have good reasons to ask how much that company receives from the district—and whether the proposed improvements would affect its business.

Both can be true.

In Part One, we examined a political communications firm, an architectural firm with documented D303 experience, and individual supporters. Part Two examines a different set of contributors: Organic Life and the St. Charles Education Association’s political-action committee.

Their relationships should not be lumped together. An existing vendor’s financial interest is different from a teachers’ organization’s interest in school conditions or an individual resident’s support for a proposal.

Organic Life: A $10,000 contribution from an existing district vendor

Illinois Sunshine’s September 22 contribution listing reports $10,000 from Organic Life, LLC to St. Charles Our Kids, Our Community. Unlike the Hodas and Wold transactions discussed in Part One, this entry is listed as a donation rather than an in-kind contribution. Illinois Sunshine

Organic Life’s business connection to D303 is clear. The district’s Food Services page identifies the company as its K–8 food-service provider. That establishes a current vendor relationship with the district. It does not establish that Organic Life operates the high schools’ food service. District 303

The basic financial questions follow directly from that relationship:

What is the annual value of Organic Life’s contract? How long has the company served D303? When does the agreement expire, and what provisions govern renewal, pricing, and changes in service?

This review did not obtain the complete contract or payment history necessary to answer those questions.   A FOIA (freedom of information requests) may provide the answers that Saint Charles D303 taxpayers need.  But since this was just discovered, the main question is why is D303 allowed to have organizations who have contracts with the district pay for campaigns to raise more money through the taxes raised if the referendum passes?  Conflict?  Absolutely.  Permissible?

Who is behind Organic Life?

Organic Life’s company website identifies Jonas Falk and Justin Rolls as its founders, dating the company’s establishment to 2005. It lists Falk as chief executive and executive chairman and Rolls as president. But identifying the founders does not fully explain the business’s current ownership structure. organiclifeusa.com

Organic Life is part of Cenavera Nutrition’s family of food-service brands, alongside SFE and SLA, according to Cenavera’s website. cenavera.com

On October 7, 2025, investment firm Nautic Partners announced that it had acquired Cenavera in partnership with management, purchasing the company from Harkness Capital Partners. The acquisition announcement identified Monty Staggs and Jonas Falk as Cenavera’s co-chief executives. nautic.com

The ownership picture, therefore, includes the operating brand, its parent company, and an investment partnership. It should not be reduced to the assumption that Organic Life remains solely owned by its two founders.

The public sources reviewed do not disclose the complete ownership percentages or every management participant’s individual investment.

How could Organic Life benefit if the referendum passes?

Although the referendum approval would not automatically award Organic Life more money, D303’s ballot proposal is concerning.  The referendum concerns school buildings and facilities. A food-service provider would need a separate contractual basis for additional payments. The existence of a $10,000 campaign contribution does not establish such a payment arrangement. The proposed facilities work is described on the district’s referendum page. District 303

Nevertheless, there are reasonable business questions to investigate.

Would any proposed project change kitchens, serving areas, equipment, or operations at schools Organic Life serves? Would changes in meal volume or service requirements affect its compensation? Who is responsible under the existing contract for equipment and operating costs that a building project might change?

These questions identify possible connections. They do not establish that the proposed projects would produce those effects.  For example, if a project reduced costs that the vendor must otherwise bear, that could improve the vendor’s economics. If an amended agreement expanded paid services, that could increase revenue. But neither result should be claimed without examining the actual project scope and contract terms.

The company and its investors could benefit from profitable additional business. The missing evidence is whether this particular referendum would create that business.

Organic Life’s established vendor relationship makes disclosure relevant. Its ownership structure helps identify the broader financial interests behind the business. Neither fact proves that the contribution was exchanged for favorable treatment.

The contract—not speculation—should tell voters whether the referendum changes Organic Life’s financial position. What contracts exist? What's the history between D303 and Organic?

St. Charles Education Association–IPACE: A different kind of interest

The supplied donor summary lists $5,000 from St. Charles Education Association–IPACE on September 9.  The Illinois State Board of Elections’ committee record identifies St. Charles Education Assn–IPACE as an active political-action committee, Committee No. 17812. Its stated purpose includes supporting public referendums favorable to education. Illinois State Board of Elections IPACE stands for Illinois Political Action Committee for Education. The Illinois Education Association’s IPACE guidance expressly identifies school bond and tax referendums as uses for local political-action funds. Illinois Education Association  This is therefore political support from an education-associated committee—not a contribution by an architectural or food-service contractor.

How could its members benefit?

Improved classrooms and building systems could provide better working and learning conditions. That is an identifiable potential benefit, but it is different from receiving a professional-services contract or earning a return on an ownership investment.

The referendum should not be described as a direct teacher-pay increase. The ballot language concerns facilities and related improvements; this review found no evidence that the listed contribution is tied to salary increases contingent on passage. District 303 There are still appropriate transparency questions: How was the contribution approved? What role is the committee playing in the referendum campaign? Has it paid for additional advertising, consulting, or organizing beyond the listed contribution?Those questions concern the campaign’s funding and organization. They should not be presented as evidence that educators would personally receive construction funds.

What voters should expect from the district

Across this series, several different relationships emerge.  Wold has documented D303 planning and design experience. Organic Life is identified by the district as an existing K–8 food-service provider. Hodas has provided substantial in-kind campaign support. The education-association political committee and individual contributors present different questions, with no established right to receive money from the proposed building program. Wold Architects & Engineers

The appropriate response is not to assume that everyone has the same motive. It is to disclose the relationships that can actually be documented.

D303 says it anticipates quarterly public updates if the referendum passes, including information about project schedules, bidding, financial commitments, expenditures, and budgets. That commitment is described on its referendum information page. District 303

But voters should not have to wait until after the election to understand existing agreements.  Before November 3, the district should make readily available the relevant vendors’ payment histories, current contracts, amendments, and any commitments covering the proposed projects. The campaign should make equally clear what its contributors provided and which firms it has paid or owes.  Residents can examine the district’s financial disclosures and request additional documents through its public-records process. District 303

Supporting school improvements and benefiting financially from school contracts are not mutually exclusive. When both interests exist, voters deserve to see them clearly. When a financial interest has not been established, voters deserve to be told that, too.



Reporting note: Organic Life’s $10,000 contribution was independently located in Illinois Sunshine’s September 22 listing. The SCEA–IPACE and Glassford contribution amounts come from the donor summary supplied for this review. The ownership findings rely on company and investor disclosures. No agreement guaranteeing a contributor additional work or payment upon referendum passage was established.