Unlike CL High School Board, Cary Grade School Board Posted Summary of Proposed Teacher Contract Three Days in Advance of Contract Vote

Crystal Lake High School District 155’s Board was scheduled to meet last night to pass the new teachers’ contract but cancelled the meeting because of bad weather. Now, the vote is scheduled for Thursday night. No one in the public … Continue reading

Two File for Two Cary Grade School Seats as Write-Ins

There are four seats on Cary Grade School District 26 which are up for election in April. Only two people are on the ballot. Two others, however, have filed as write-in candidates. They are Leonard Kaxmer Ron Demkowicz Neither seems … Continue reading

Northwest Herald Keeps Encouraging School Consolidation, which Would Cost Tens of Millions

Late last week, the Northwest Herald praised Crystal Lake School District 155 and its four elementary school feeder districts for holding a meeting for a meeting for all grade and high school teachers. Nothing wrong with that. Articulation between the … Continue reading

Cary Grade School District Taxes to the Max

The Northwest Herald reported Friday that Cary Elementary School District 26’s Board decided to take from the property taxpayers next year every dime allowed by the Property Tax Cap. That’s an increase of 1.5% over what was extracted this year. … Continue reading

McHenry County Tax Take Up by 1.5% or $12 Million

Last year McHenry County real estate taxpayers were billed $797,419,250.88. This year the McHenry County Clerk’s Office has determined that bills amounting to $809,385,180.76 will be issued. That’s a dollar increase of $11,965,930, a percentage increase of 1.5%. The Property … Continue reading

Cary Grade School District 26’s Stand on Pension Reform

Taken from a statement from the Cary Elementary School Board:.  Considering House Speaker Mike Madigan is insistent on transferring teacher pension costs to local taxpayers and this is the last week of the legislative session before extraordinary majorities are required, … Continue reading

Cary Grade School Teacher Contract Settlement Reached, But Details Kept Secret

A press release from Cary Elementary School District 26: Board and CEA Reach Tentative Agreement on All Issues The Board of Education of Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 and the Cary Education Association, which represents the teachers in labor … Continue reading

39% of Illinois Teachers Pay Nothing for Pensions

“While Democrats say Teachers ‘Have Kept Their Part of the Deal?’“ is the title of an April 5, 2011, article by former Huntley School District 158 Board member Larry Snow.  (The quote was in the Chicago Tribune Marcy 31, 2011.  … Continue reading

$3.8 Million in Local School Employee Union Dues of Local School Employees

McHenry County Blog has surveyed school districts with major presences in McHenry County and discovered that union employees paid $3.8 million in dues during calendar year 2010. The total amount was $3,825,572. Contracts are typically for more than one year … Continue reading

Daily Herald Editors in Denial

Everyone who has their boat moored to reality knows that Cary Grade School District 26’s financial problems have been caused by a teachers’ contract the district can’t afford. They have teacher salaries that are comparatively out of sight, and benefits … Continue reading

What Wasn’t in the Local Papers About Cary 26 Grade School’s “Windfall”?

It is always interesting to see how the journalists and editors in the local newspapers describe something and then compare such descriptions with source documents. Here’s how the people who made their proposal to the Cary 26 school board described … Continue reading