McHenry Co. Superintendent Salaries: Who Makes The Most?

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL – Property tax bills are often a cause for complaint among local homeowners. And, rightfully so. We live in a state where property taxes are the second highest in the nation.

With that said, McHenry Co. Board Chairman Jack Franks has been targeting local school districts' budgets in his fight to lower property tax bills –something he said is absolutely necessary "to save the county, start to grow and have our home values go up," according to the Northwest Herald.

In a recent Northwest Herald report, the newspaper looked at the salaries of the county's 17 superintendents, which adds up to a collective total of $3 million per year.

Of those superintendents, seven have salaries that are higher than the Illinois' governor's pay rate, which is $177,412.

The county's top-paid superintendent, Fred Heid, who overseas the state's sixth largest school district, District 300, makes $227,682 per year. Other top-paid superintendents in the county include:

• Scott Rowe, superintendent for Huntley District 158, makes $205,000 per year
• Mike Moan, Woodstock District 200 superintendent, makes $192,8444 per year
• Kathy Hinz, Crystal Lake District 47 superintendent, earns $190,000 per year
• R. Alan Hoffman, McHenry District 15 superintendent, earns $189,750
• Steve Olson, High School District 155 superintendent, makes $188,773
• Ryan McTague, McHenry District 156 superintendent, has an annual salary of $184,000

Many local residents and government leaders have had enough and say something needs to be done to address school spending. An advisory referendum, which garnered 34,052 "yes" votes compared to 12,042 "no" votes this past March, called on school districts in the county to reduce their property tax levies by at least 10 percent

Language in the advisory referendum pointed to the fact that the McHenry County Board in November 2017 approved a 2018 budget that included an 11.2 percent decrease in its property tax levy, which would put $8 million back into taxpayer's pockets. In addition, several other local taxing bodies have decreased their levies by 10 percent.

The largest portion of property tax bills in McHenry County fund public education and the state has the second highest property tax rate in the nation. The high property taxes affect the housing market, leading to potential buyers looking elsewhere; has lead to an ongoing loss in population; affects retirees on fixed incomes who are forced to move out of their longtime homes; and affects employers' ability to draw talent to the county and to expand, according to the advisory referendum.

• Illinois Has 2nd Highest Property Taxes In U.S.

Franks said 70 percent of property taxes goes to schools and has said the county would be better off with just one school district – a model the state of Florida uses, according to the Northwest Herald.

McHenry County’s Regional Superintendent of Schools Leslie Schermerhorn told the Northwest Herald she agrees – consolidation of school districts should be explored, especially for the county's smaller school districts. But it's not the answer for all districts.

“It’s not that easy. I wish it were,” she said. “There is a question of pay scale. When you combine two districts, you have one set of teachers coming into one district and expect to be on the same pay scale.”

More via the Northwest Herald

PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK

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