School District Leaders To Discuss Tax Levy Reduction

From McHenry County: McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has invited leaders from nine area school districts to a discussion on what districts can do to lower their property tax levies.

The meeting comes after voters overwhelmingly approved an advisory referendum asking school districts to follow the County Board’s example and reduce their levies by at least 10 percent. The County Board reduced county government’s levy by 11.2 percent for this tax year, and will continue to search for additional efficiencies to save taxpayers money.

“While every local government has an obligation to the taxpayers to tighten their belts like we did, I believe school boards have even more of one because they account for the biggest percentage, by far, of property tax bills. We’re not here to criticize public education or the fine work that our teachers do. But the voters told us in March that schools need to lower their taxes.

And unfortunately, people are also voting with their feet and leaving McHenry County. We have to reverse this trend before we reach a demographic and economic point of no return,” Franks, D-Marengo, said.

County Board members Michele Aavang, R-Woodstock, Christopher Spoerl, R-Cary, and John Jung, R-Woodstock, led the effort last year to put the advisory referendum on the March 20 primary ballot. Voters approved it by a three-to-one margin.

Franks last week invited the superintendents and the school board presidents from nine of the 16 school districts that have their administrative centers in McHenry County: Woodstock Community District 200, Johnsburg District 12, McHenry Community High School District 156, Marengo Union Elementary School District 165, Huntley Community School District 158, Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157, Cary Community School District 26, Community High School District 155 and Crystal Lake Elementary District 47. Other districts will be invited to future meetings.

Numerous studies have revealed the unsustainable property tax burden that is suffocating McHenry County taxpayers and businesses, and hampering job creation. The most recent study, according to an April 6 story in Crain’s Chicago Business, concludes that McHenry County homeowners pay more on average than 96 percent of the rest of the nation.

Property taxes have steadily increased for McHenry County taxpayers despite the fact that many home values fell with the crash of the housing market a decade ago. News stories since then have chronicled an exodus of residents from McHenry County and Illinois – if the trend continues, the 2020 U.S. Census will be the first ever in which McHenry County loses population.

School representatives will meet with Franks, county administrative staff, and board members Aavang, Spoerl, Chris Christensen, R-Cary, Tom Wilbeck, R-Barrington Hills, and Mike Skala, R-Huntley. Aavang is chairwoman of the board’s Law and Government Committee. Christensen and Spoerl served on the District 26 school board, Skala served on the District 158 school board, and Wilbeck served on the McHenry County College Board of Trustees.

“As someone who helped guide District 26 through some very painful financial decisions to balance the budget, I very much understand the need for quality schools. But I also understand that my constituents are being crushed by high property taxes. There is no reason that we can’t have good schools as well as a sustainable tax burden that does not force people out of their homes. We have to find that balance – our future as a county depends on it,” Spoerl said.

McHenry County has no statutory authority over school districts. Franks said the discussion will focus on finding meaningful and realistic cost savings, such as examining budget surpluses, the amount of administrative overhead, space utilization, joint purchasing and sharing of resources.

“Our taxpayers can no longer afford to hear local governments say that it can’t be done or that the status quo can’t be challenged. I can’t say this bluntly enough – our taxpayers are in crisis. Every day, I get heartbreaking calls and letters from constituents telling me they can’t afford to stay in their homes anymore. Our kids are leaving out of state for college and not coming back because they can’t afford to settle down here. Taxpayers are watching their taxes for schools go up while they watch student enrollment drop. This is unsustainable. If we don’t fix this, there’s going to be no students left to teach and no taxpayers left to pay the bill,” Franks said.

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