Highland Park, IL - diversity

[Master Jay]

edsg25, always good to see your contributions, my friend. Have you been to Highwood? There's a nice stretch of restaurants. Pick one, let's have a vino or an espresso! Anyone is welcome to join for a city-data.vom reunion! Sincerely, Master Jay in Milwaukee

[jvr789]

Speaking of Highland Park, does anybody have insight into why the tax rate is relatively high? When observing the level of density that HP allows/promotes downtown I would think that it would result in a stronger tax base which overall would lower the tax rate.

Also, somewhat more along the lines of the diversity question, I have been trying to follow what is going on with the school district in Highland Park. As far as I can tell there has been a lot of moving parts with something like five Superintendents in five years and upcoming elementary school consolidations (TBD) with commentary regarding ensuring more equal outcomes going forward. I am not sure if that is related to ESL vs. non-ESL students or Highwood vs. Highland Park students or something else?

[damba]

Originally Posted by jvr789

Speaking of Highland Park, does anybody have insight into why the tax rate is relatively high? When observing the level of density that HP allows/promotes downtown I would think that it would result in a stronger tax base which overall would lower the tax rate.

HP doesn’t have population density like downtown Chicago. Tax rates are higher because they pay for quite a lot of established schools and local services.

Also, somewhat more along the lines of the diversity question, I have been trying to follow what is going on with the school district in Highland Park. As far as I can tell there has been a lot of moving parts with something like five Superintendents in five years and upcoming elementary school consolidations (TBD) with commentary regarding ensuring more equal outcomes going forward. I am not sure if that is related to ESL vs. non-ESL students or Highwood vs. Highland Park students or something else?

The issue is that there are too many schools in proportion to the total number of students, and that trend is continuing. Consolidation was the only way to get everything lined up properly and be able to absorb all the costs of facilities upgrades, all while staying inside the mandated education laws. ESL education is really only a minor component of the consolidation in D112. The ‘big box’ middle school proposal a few years ago was a great example of how not to promote or implement a school reconfiguration/condolidation plan in the north shore

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by jvr789

Speaking of Highland Park, does anybody have insight into why the tax rate is relatively high? When observing the level of density that HP allows/promotes downtown I would think that it would result in a stronger tax base which overall would lower the tax rate.

I don't know this for certain because Lake County's composite rate data is not as readily available as Cook County's, but I think the reason Deerfield's and Highland Park's rates look higher relative to surrounding communities is in large part due to lower property values relative to those same communities. There is no doubt that public funding in Deerfield and Highland Park is very generous, and there is a good possibility that the composite rates are higher than those surrounding as well.