Moving to IL - is there any future? (Lake Forest, Hinsdale: school districts, property tax)

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by tolovefromANFIELD

Come on man, if you want to have a fruitful discussion, I'm all for it. I'm as big of a critic of Pritzker as anyone else out there.

But, it's a notorious lie that MOST of the property taxes funneled to schools goes to pay for pensions. It's just not true. Not even close.

No, but I think it's fair to evaluate where that local education spend is going.

I'll take Glenbrook North as a fair example of Tier 1 public high school in IL. 2200 kids, upper-middle class community, suburbia USA.

At GBN:
13 psychologists/social workers make $100k+ base salary, 6 of which makes $125k+base salary
17 guidance counselors making $100k+ base salary, 10 of which make $130k+ base salary
4 librarians making $125k+ base salary
Majority of physical education teachers making base $120k+

The list goes on. And that base does not include retirement enhancements, stipends, etc.

The median household income in Northbrook is $125k. So, dual teacher households in district make almost 2x the village median. I like the idea of valuing our teachers, but is that sustainable?

More importantly, as compared to the town(s) that I just moved back from that were out of State.. Why don't I see new schools being built around here? The test scores there were just as good if not better than those in Northbrook, and there were beautiful $200-$250M+ high schools being built (and not just in Tier 1 districts), $100M+ middle schools. And, all of that with stagnant property taxes.

How long before all of these old schools and buildings are no longer serviceable? How will Illinois towns address that issue, without scaling back administrative spend or increasing the property tax %?

[mwj119]

One idea, without resorting to another round of tax overkill on the above ^

On a local level, can't we scale back or freeze what you can in the parks and rec budget? On another thread, some months back, we were breaking down Park and Rec spend in neighboring Glenview. It's an unbelievable expense.. Something like 7.5% of the property tax bill? A large majority of what they deliver could very easily be privatized. Do we need folks at parks and rec dept. making $100k+?

I'd rather pick and choose what my family needs, than pay for it all on top of a deductible for entry. A methodology that has proven effective in many other parts of the country.

[tolovefromANFIELD]

Originally Posted by mwj119

No, but I think it's fair to evaluate where that local education spend is going.

I'll take Glenbrook North as a fair example of Tier 1 public high school in IL. 2200 kids, upper-middle class community, suburbia USA.

At GBN:
13 psychologists/social workers make $100k+ base salary, 6 of which makes $125k+base salary
17 guidance counselors making $100k+ base salary, 10 of which make $130k+ base salary
4 librarians making $125k+ base salary
All physical education teachers making base $120k+

The list goes on.

The median household income in Northbrook is $125k. So, dual teacher households in district make almost 2x the village median. I like the idea of valuing our teachers, but is that sustainable?

More importantly, as compared to the town(s) that I just moved back from that were out of State.. Why don't I see new schools being built around here? The test scores there were just as good if not better than those in Northbrook, and there were beautiful $200-$250M+ high schools being built (and not just in Tier 1 districts).

How long before all of these old schools and buildings are no longer serviceable? How will Illinois towns address that issue, without scaling back administrative spend?

It's a fair question, and I think union hissy fits due to Covid this year will make parents question the economics of public education in elite HS districts. I just think it will be a slow process, but status of schools as sacred cows is going to go away.

As far as facilities go, here in 203 Naperville Central has spent a crap ton of money on remodeling/extensions and sports facilities. Stevenson HS is, which you mentioned, is gorgeous, looks and feels like a college campus, and has a pool that rivals some Big 10 schools.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by tolovefromANFIELD

[/b]As far as facilities go, here in 203 Naperville Central has spent a crap ton of money on remodeling/extensions and sports facilities. Stevenson HS is, which you mentioned, is gorgeous, looks and feels like a college campus, and has a pool that rivals some Big 10 schools.

I mean I'm sure there are micro examples to this macro idea. And although Stevenson has gone through revitalization efforts, it was still built in 1965. About a decade ago, GBS elected for like a $100M remodel of the high school because they couldn't come up with the money for brand new.

I think about Hinsdale.. Wasn't it Hinsdale Central and South that had elected/resorted to outright elimination of a bunch of athletic programs due to a budget shortage?

Just speaks to how mismanaged so many aspects of this metro have become. Some combination of public and administrative expectations, and **** poor foresight in budget vs. spend.

[MovingForward59]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

On my $21k Evanston tax bill, the pension cost is $2.3k.

How many states charge 10% of their property tax bill for just pensions?
Keeping in mind you aren’t getting better services for that pension surcharge.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by MovingForward59

How many states charge 10% of their property tax bill for just pensions?
Keeping in mind you aren’t getting better services for that pension surcharge.

I imagine we totally agree on issues. I'm just putting that fact out there. Evanston has relatively low property taxes for the area, and the rate has trended down in the last handful of years.

[tolovefromANFIELD]

Originally Posted by mwj119

I mean I'm sure there are micro examples to this macro idea. And although Stevenson has gone through revitalization efforts, it was still built in 1965. About a decade ago, GBS elected for like a $100M remodel of the high school because they couldn't come up with the money for brand new.

I think about Hinsdale.. Wasn't it Hinsdale Central and South that had elected/resorted to outright elimination of a bunch of athletic programs due to a budget shortage?

Just speaks to how mismanaged so many aspects of this metro have become. Some combination of public and administrative expectations, and **** poor foresight in budget vs. spend.

Why do we need to build new expensive buildings/facilities? How's that going to help with better fiscal management?

It was Hinsdale Central.

[tolovefromANFIELD]

Originally Posted by MovingForward59

How many states charge 10% of their property tax bill for just pensions?
Keeping in mind you aren’t getting better services for that pension surcharge.

Ok, those are fair questions to ask. But, that's not what you said. You made a wild exaggeration, and aren't even capable of saying, hey, you're right, but we still spend too much of our school money on non-productive expenses, which is a perfectly viable argument to make.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by MovingForward59

Yes. We closed on a house in Mooresville last week.
Enjoy JB’s tax hikes. Already looking at a 20% income tax hike or more plus Lori’s it’s only $50 a year property tax increase.

Mooresville, that's certainly the backwoods of Indy.

[MovingForward59]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Mooresville, that's certainly the backwoods of Indy.

Not really. Martinsville maybe but Mooresville is closer to the city and more diverse while still being super affordable.