Endorsement: Yes to McHenry Dist. 156 bond issue

• Article

McHenry High School District 156 lags badly in helping its students prepare for the world they will face after graduation. While some districts are giving every student a computer, District 156 is at the other end of the scale. Teachers and students are working with classroom equipment that in many cases is a decade old. The district has refinanced bonds at lower interest rates in a move that will save a taxpayer living in a home valued at $200,000 about $14 a year for the next eight years. On April 9, the district is asking voters to approve using that savings to issue $2.2 million in new bonds, with $1.9 million to be spent on technology and $300,000 used to make security enhancements based on a review undertaken after the recent school shooting in Connecticut. It has been decades since a tax increase was approved in the district, and a more ambitious school improvement plan was overwhelmingly rejected in 2010 and 2011. But approving this bond issue won't increase taxes and rejecting it won't result in a significant savings on property taxes. We strongly recommend a YES vote.