D158: With Common Sense Candidates School Board Majority Lost, Evenly Divided Board Must Appoint Successor

Huntley School Board election winners With Gina Galligar resignation due to husband’s new job in Florida, 2025 D158 school board elections will have five seats on ballot Exclusive to McHenry County Blog by John Lopez They were the talk of … Continue reading

State’s Attorney’s Office Contacting New County Board Members Holding Other Elected Positions

Multiple sources have told McHenry County Blog that the McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi’s Office is making contact with the three newly-elected members of the County Board to advise them of the conflict of interest that would exist if … Continue reading

Update on Teachers Negotiations in Huntley School District 158

A press release from the Huntley School Board: Teacher Negotiations Update from the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 ALGONQUIN, IL – The District 158 Board of Education (Board) has received notice that the Huntley Education Association (HEA) … Continue reading

Mike Skala Decides to Serve on Both Huntley School and County Board Despite “Incompatabilty”

I missed the Northwest Herald article about newly-elected McHenry County Board member Mike Skala deciding to stay on the Huntley District 158 School Board until after a suit with contractors is settled. And, it seems that former McHenry County College … Continue reading

Huntley Teachers Reject Contract

District 158 teachers have rejected the contract terms offered by the District 158 School Board. Here’s what’s in a joint Huntley Education Association-School Board press release: Negotiation Update from District 158 Board of Education and Huntley Education Association ALGONQUIN, IL … Continue reading

Huntley School District Board & Teachers Join District 300 in Asking for a Mediator

A press release from Huntley School District 158 and its teachers’ union: A Joint Press Release from the Board of Education of Consolidated School District 158 and the Huntley Education Association ALGONQUIN, IL – The District 158 administration and the … Continue reading

A Reader Offers Letter to the Editor re District 6 Candidacies

McHenry County Blog doesn’t get many letters, although the email address is on the left hand side of the page. With the election coming, I figure others might like to follow the example of Huntley School District 158 resident Fred … Continue reading

Former Huntley School Board President Announces for County Board in District 6

There are four spots to fill in each County Board districts. Because of reapportionment all County Board members must run for election to retain their posts. In District 6, the most rural in McHenry County, incumbent Randy Donley has announced … Continue reading

District 158 and Huntley Education Association Reach Agreement

In what is labeled a “Joint Press Release,” the Huntley School Board and teachers union announce agreement has been reached on a one-year teachers’ contract. Algonquin, IL – After a collaborative and constructive process, the Board of Education of Consolidated … Continue reading

Huntley School Teacher Contract Views – Then and Now

These comments by Huntley School District Superintendent John Burkey in the First Electric Newspaper stirred my memory: “Last year I was amazed that we avoided it,” said Supt. John Burkey. “This year it just caught up with us.” He slammed … Continue reading

Huntley School District 158 Spends $250,000 on Lawyers

Since the Huntley-based Grafton Township has spent so much on legal fees, the report on legal fees to the Huntley School Board caught my attention. You can read the detail below by clicking on the images and a summary not … Continue reading

Huntley School District Goes Back to Days of Hiding Contracts from Public

Many public officials are in denial about how their own actions and non-cooperation add to the public’s mistrust of government and even disgust of government. Public officials adopt either a public servant’s I’m-here-to-help attitude or a self-serving I-don’t-want-to-bother attitude. I … Continue reading

Correction Time re This Article about Citizen Oversight

This article is corrected and bumped up for visibility. I misread the minutes of the Financial Advisory Committee meeting of August 2nd. It was not Huntley School District 158 Chief Financial Officer Mark Altmayer whom the minutes say advocated abolishing … Continue reading

Huntley Board Member Says Tea Party Attracts People who Want to Throw Molotov Cocktails

Kim Skaja, a Huntley District 158 School Board member apparently thinks the Tea Party attracts people who want to throw Molotov cocktails. You just can’t make this stuff up. So here’s her post from the Huntley Neighbors’ blog. She was … Continue reading