A press release from Crystal Lake High School District 155:
D155 Schools Rank Among the Best Nationwide
Crystal Lake – All four District 155 high schools ranked among America’s Most Challenging High Schools list published by The Washington Post on April 17.
The formula is the total number of Advanced Placement tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June.
All four high schools placed in the top three percent in the state and top seven percent nationally.
Nearly 2,300 public and private high schools were scored.
U.S. News & World Report released its list for Best High School for 2016 on April 19.
This year Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge ranked among the best high schools nationally and in the state of Illinois. U.S. News & World Report measured assessments, graduation rates, and how well students are prepared for college.
Data includes more than 21,000 public high schools nationally and 674 in the state of Illinois.
“Our principals, teachers, and support staff do incredible work every day and they go above and beyond. Our students continue to challenge themselves and excel in rigorous courses. Together we are working to ensure our students are college and career ready,” said Dr. Johnnie Thomas, superintendent.
*Ranks may have changed since The Washington Post’s original publish date due to more schools being added to the list.
To put some context to the AP figures, this from the 2015 District 155 CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report).
As of the 2010 census, the median household income in the City of Crystal Lake and the Village of Cary, the District’s largest incorporated population centers, were $87,493 and $87,138, respectively.
This compares to $77,314 for McHenry County and $55,222 for the State of Illinois.
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It would be nice if in addition to these PR bits from the district, if they could also spend more time on transparency.
One of the most notable aspects of CHSD 155 is they do not not videotape board meetings, and thus does not indefinitely archive videotaped board meetings on its website.
The district does not post the IMRF compensation report on its website.
They do post a CAFR, which more District 155 taxpayers should read if they want to better understand why there property taxes will likely be hiked in the future to support the schools.
Wow that was great, what a rush, I felt better for a few seconds.
The reality that they keep raising their levy when most other gov agencies have frozen their’s is still a biter downer pill to take.
Wouldn’t it be great if they added the cost to educate per student to these lists?
Then you could decide where to move and raise your children.
Many schools in many states have schools that test just as well for less tax dollars.
Did anyone see how the state OVERPAID our school districts last year?
Check out the local newspapers.
I read it somewhere today.
http://www.nwherald.com/2016/04/20/illinois-overpays-mchenry-county-taxing-bodies-1-3-million/a2g9kd6/
I would expect the National Rankings to be higher considering that we are so high on property taxes.
Just please don’t tell me that money does not equal better quality.
If we push more money into salaries, I mean schools, then that will result in a better education.
Illinois has the ninth highest paid teachers (elementary and secondary) but our State has the 25th most teachers. Maybe we need more teachers but pay them less?
The teacher salary data for Illinois teachers is probably bogus.
One would have to determine exactly what they are counting and not counting as pay.
Teachers get paid in so many different ways and it varies by district: salary, stipend, pensionable bonus, non pensionable bonus, pension pick-up using salary schedule add-on (which hikes gross pay), pension pick-up using salary schedule reduction, and the list goes on.
And the perks on top of salary such as state subsidy for TRS, state subsidy for TRIP insurance, local school district subsidies of various types, add to “overall compensation” over and above “salary.”
The teacher unions were the 100 pound Gorilla for decades in Springfield and got just about whatever they wanted.
We will never get a good return on our public education tax dollars with the current system where gym teachers are paid the same as physics, chemistry, and calculus teachers.
Where there is no competition for the taxpayer dollars that go to public education.
Where salaries, pension benefits, current benefits, and retiree healthcare benefits have been hiked in exchange for political favors.
Where collective bargaining agreements are voted on by rank and file teachers but not rank and file taxpyers.
Where the negotiating board / administration & teacher union teams have collective bargaining agreement change documents highlighting additions and deletions; but the taxpayers receive no such document, not before the agreement is voted upon, not after the agreement is voted on, not after the agreement is finalized.
Where unions receive agency fees from school district employees whom don’t want to pay the union a dime, but must as a condition of employment.
Where school districts don’t post their debt service schedules (bond principal and interest payments) on their website annually.
Where the statutorily mandated compensation reports don’t include stipends.
Where the GASB 68 disclosures for school district share of the state pension liability are not clearly revealed to taxpayers.
And the list goes on and on.
Public education in Illinois is broken and unsustainable at current tax and service levels, and this has been known for decades.
Another great example of a participation trophy given out to students.
Rigor is determined by the # of AP exams / # of senior students.
So the more exams you take, the greater the rigor in your skrool.
However, the score or outcome of the exam is ignored.
Congratulations to the Illinois schools for participation trophy.
Districts also measure passage rates of AP exams.
Some districts have summer bridge classes for those entering an AP class in the fall.
Far fewer districts have a bridge class for a run of the mill standard ordinary English or math class for the average students.
Another example of the PR machine in action, with the district not helping everyone, but those that make the district look good in the press.