McHenry County Blog

McHenry County has a combination of unit school districts and dual districts, that is, separate elementary and high school districts.

The education reform proposal Governor Rod Blagojevich put on the table Tuesday—his successful attempt to buy off the Rev. and State Senator James Meeks’ gubernatorial candidacy—proposes financial incentives to create unit school districts.

Take a look at these two slides, which explain a bit of what the plan’s implications for schools in Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox River Grove, Marengo, McHenry, Wonder Lake, Richmond, Riley, and Spring Grove.

The educational advantages are, of course, pretty self-evident. All the elementary schools in a unit district would have similar educational offerings. Presumably, freshman high school students would be equally prepared.

There should be lower administrative expenses, as well.

The second slide shows what those who compare school tax rates already know. Most unit school districts have lower tax rates than the combination of grade and high school districts.