McHenry County Blog

At the Algonquin Rotary Club this morning, Huntley District 158 school board member Larry Snow presented an alternative viewpoint to that offered by District 300’s Dr. Cheryl Crates the week before.

Snow concentrated on revenues omitted from the Carpentersville District 300 budget projections previously outlined by Crates and posted on the district web site. He didn't even look at the spending side of the budget.

There will be a longer article later, complete with Snow’s 56 slides, but new money popped up during the rebuttal time Crates was offered:

$2 million in state aid to education.

Snow had pointed out that District 300 estimated state aid to increase only $50 per pupil, while this year’s increase had been $200 per child. That ignored as much $2.5 million in new revenue next year, Snow said. See slide 22 on the low state aid estimate, slide 23 on how much 1% to 4% increases would yield and slide 24 on the amount of new money the State Board of Education recommended state aid increase would bring District 300—over $2 million.

Under questioning by Rotary Club member Gene Brown about whether she rejected “all of the data Larry has presented," Crates replied

I’m always interested in people’s opinion. The only thing that’s not in there is state aid (at) $170 (per pupil).

That’s the over $2 million underestimated revenue Snow pointed out.

The school board has threatened to cut extracurricular activities and sports to save $1.25 million.

Let’s see.

Is $2 million larger than $1.25 million?