Riley and Harrison (Wonder Lake) Grade School Districts Only Ones in McHenry County to Avoid Teacher Pension Spiking Penalties

The following article is reprinted with the permission of the Illinois News Network.  You will note it was written by former Northwest Herald Editor Brett Rowland> INN investigation: McHenry County schools continue to pad pensions, pay $620k in penalties for … Continue reading

2016 McHenry County Schools Statistics – Property Tax Comparisons

Right after this year’s real estate tax bills arrived in mailboxes, McHenry County Blog showed how school districts’ tax levies compared with the previous two years’ levies. A Friend of McHenry County Blog did the heavy lifting in manipulating this … Continue reading

2016 Statistics for McHenry County Schools – Demographic Data

A while ago, a commenter asked for more information about schools than whether and how much they increased or decreased taxes since last year. While data for 2017 is not available, that for 2016 is. A Friend of McHenry County … Continue reading

What You Can Do to Stop Higher School Taxes TODAY

Woodstock resident Susan Handlesman offers the following good advice of how you might influence Governor Bruce Rauner to veto a bill that is, if signed, is bound to increase local school taxes: Contact Rauner: Stop schools’ tax cap evasion loophole, … Continue reading

Wonder Lake Jr. High School Teacher Arrested

A press release from the McHenry County Sheriff: McHenry Man Arrested on Disorderly Conduct Charges Detectives from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office served criminal warrants on June 24, 2016, on Scott Smessaert of McHenry, Illinois, for Disorderly Conduct. On May … Continue reading

Comparing School Tax Totals – 2015 and 2016 Collections

Schools are the tax districts that take most money in every part of McHenry County. Below is a comparison of what was levied last year for collection this year and what was asked for the year before. Thanks again to … Continue reading

McHenry County Schools Asking for 1.23% More This Year

Below you can see what McHenry County school districts will be asking to extract from your checking or escrow accounts this year. You will note that all of them put together are requesting 1.23% more, although the rate of inflation … Continue reading

Looking at More School Debt Information

Taken from bond documents by bond analyst Steve Willson is the following information: … Continue reading

WL School District Capitulates to Tax Protesters, $123,000 Being Refunded

St. Charles attorney Tim Dwyer asked property owners associations and businesses on the eastern side of Wonder Lake if they would like to join in protesting excessive taxation by the Harrison Grade School District. Those that took up his offer … Continue reading

Tax Protest Suit against Wonder Lake’s Harrison Grade School

The first part of attorney Tim Dwyer’s tax protest suit is against McHenry County.  You can read about that here. The second section goes after excessive levies at Wonder Lake’s Harrison Grade School District 36. As with the challenged funds … Continue reading

Tax Protest Suit against McHenry County, Harrison School, CL Grade & High School, plus Alg & McH Townships

Four tax districts in McHenry County are targeted in a tax protest suit filed by attorney Timothy Dwyer on behalf of WKS CRYSTAL Lake, LLC, ET AL. McHenry County is accused of having excessive funds on hand for the Valley Hi Nursing … Continue reading

A Second Way to Attack Real Estate Taxes

Residents are by now familiar with real estate tax assessment appeals. That’s an attack on the accuracy of one’s assessed value. McHenry County Blog even has an advertiser, attorney Jim Bishop, who handles such appeals. There is, however, a second approach to … Continue reading

School Stats including Cost per Classroom

Here are some 2013 McHenry County school statistics–average expenditure per pupil and per classroom, plus average teach salary–to ponder. They were calculated by a Friend of McHenry County Blog. I don’t think I have seen average spending per classroom for … Continue reading

Teacher Salary Spikes

The Chicago Tribune’s Education superb Reporter Diane Rado has examined the cost to local taxpayers of school boards that increased teachers’ salaries more than allowed by law just before they retired.  Her main article can be found here. Reported in … Continue reading

Taxes for Schools, This Year & Last Year

Since schools comprise the bulk of property tax dollars, I thought some might be interested in seeing how they changed from last year to this year. Although the percentage change column is labeled “% Change + of -” the first … Continue reading

Wonder Lake School Board Race Trends Toward Incumbents

Republican Precinct Committeeman Bob Anderson and two of his allies who want to pursue consolidation of the one school Harrison District 36 seem to be heading toward a split decision. Anderson is leading a write-in candidate for the two-year term, … Continue reading

Political Stories from the Weekend

Lot’s of political articles over the Easter Weekend: McHenry Aldermanic Candidate Scott Curry’s Literature Matthew Hardt MCC Campaign Piece FRG College Student Janna Wing Works Precinct on Spring Break Lakewood Trustee Campaign Moves to the Internet Two Billboards for WL … Continue reading

Two Billboards for WL Grade School Challengers

There is a hot contest for Wonder Lake’s Harrison School District 36 Board. A slate containing Bob Anderson, David Yang and Cliff Leegard are challenging the folks who currently control the school board. Anderson and Yang are Republican Precinct Committeemen. … Continue reading

28 Write-In Candidacies Surface, Shepley Challenged by Chadwick

The biggest is the write-in challenge of Sascha Chadwick to Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley. As McHenry County Blog reported the night it happened, Shepley managed to convince his fellow City Council members that Chadwick, a CPA and entrepreneur.  (See … Continue reading

Rosemary Kurtz Gains First Ballot Position in District 155 Race

Already the prohibitive favorite in the contest to fill three Crystal Lake High School Board posts, former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz got a further boost from the removal of the only person ahead of her on the ballot. Candidate Gerald … Continue reading