Endorsement: Yes to McHenry Dist. 156 bond issue

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.