Huntley Community School District 158 maintained its status as the lowest per-pupil spending district in McHenry County, as reported in a Northwest Herald article comparing data from the latest Illinois Report Card.
Huntley 158 has managed to create a number of nationally recognized innovative programs, including one of the largest Blended Learning programs in the country, a 1:1 Learning Initiative that has placed a personal learning device in the hands of all students in grades K-9, and specialized Medical and STEM Engineering Academies at Huntley High School.
“I really think … the leadership of the district has to question every expense and wonder, ‘Is this helping to move us forward?’ ” Superintendent John Burkey told the paper.
In addition to having both a tax base and tax rate in the bottom third in comparison to the Huntley 158’s benchmark districts, the article also notes that the District has realized significant savings by keeping operations such as food service, transportation, website management, and program development in-house rather than outsourcing them.
The article also references less noticeable efforts that have added up to millions in savings to taxpayers over the years, including clever apportionment of janitorial work and proactive efforts to cut down on energy costs through building renovations.
Read the full article at www.nwherald.com.
