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Waukegan joins school districts backing sales tax referendum: ‘A source of income that will benefit our students’
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Chicago Tribune, Cost of Living, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 30, 2026| 1 Comment »
CUSD 220 has reportedly already requested the 1% county sales tax referendum be placed on the Nov. 3 Ballot.
By Steve Sadin | For the Lake County News-Sun
A referendum proposing a 1% countywide sales tax to fund education is a step closer to reality now that Lake County’s largest school district has joined a group asking Regional Superintendent of Education Michael Karner to take the necessary steps to place it on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
If public school districts representing more than 50% of the students in Lake County approve resolutions asking Karner to certify the referendum to County Clerk Anthony Vega by Aug. 26, voters will decide the fate of a proposed 1% sales tax funding education.
Already directing Karner to place the referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot are: Barrington Community Unit School District 220 (3,489 students), Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 (3,504 students), Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 (5,777 students), Kildeer Countryside School District 96 (3,419 students), Lake Buff School District 65 (877 students) and Big Hollow School District 98 (1,653 students).
The full article can be read here.
Note: An attorney quoted in the article said, “proceeds from the sales tax can only be used for long-term capital improvements, such as building renovations or repairs, like a new roof, school resource officers, or mental health professionals.”
5 things to know about Illinois’ new school rating system
Posted in Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, SNAFU, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 30, 2026| 2 Comments »
Labels on the familiar state report card are poised to change.
By Hannah Schmid | Illinois Policy Institute
Illinois plans to revamp how it rates public schools, meaning familiar labels on the state report card will change.
The Illinois State Board of Education in April approved a new school accountability system beginning in fall 2026.
The board says the overhaul will make school ratings clearer and fairer. The changes also remove some key measures and reshape how performance is judged.
Yet at a time when nearly half of Illinois students can’t read at grade level and even fewer are proficient in math, the board’s overhaul will change how schools are labeled but not how they perform.
Here are five things you should know about the changes while the plan awaits federal approval.
1._Schools will no longer be graded on a curve.
Illinois’ rating system ranks schools against each other. Only the top 10% can be in the top category and only the bottom 5% are ranked in the lowest.
The rankings are based on a school’s performance against other schools rather than strictly on how well its students meet specific criteria.
The new system will grade schools based on fixed standards. The goal is to eliminate moving goalposts, where a school’s rating could change based on comparison to other schools even if its performance doesn’t change. That could make ratings more consistent over time.
Article continues here.
Pritzker’s 57 tax and fee hikes cost Illinoisans $77 billion
Posted in Barrington Education Association, Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Taxes, Unions on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The governor has presided over $77 billion in increases while Illinois’ economic growth lags.
By Ravi Mishra | Illinois Policy Institute
Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants more tax and fee hikes even after presiding over at least 57 of them since 2019 and with Illinois’ budget still in dysfunction.
New tax and fee burdens under Pritzker have cost taxpayers more than $77 billion. Last year alone, Illinoisans paid $16.5 billion more in state taxes than they would have if taxes stayed consistent with 2018 levels.
The median Illinois household now pays nearly $1,400 more per year in state taxes than it would have under prior levels.
Examples of recent tax policy moves in Illinois:
- The gas tax was doubled in 2019 from $0.19 to $0.38 per gallon and indexed to annual increases to inflation. It now stands at 48.3 cents per gallon.
- The net-operating-loss deduction was capped in 2021, effectively double-taxing Illinois companies.
- Late last year Pritzker signed a bill decoupling Illinois from federal business tax cuts.
Property taxes have risen 27% under Pritzker’s watch. While driven by local decisions, state policy, particularly around pension and school funding, has pressured local governments and contributed to those hikes.
Article continues here.
CUSD 220 Notice of document destruction
Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Barrington High School, Daily Herald, Illinois Federation of Teachers, School Districts, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Notice is hereby given that Community Unit School District No. 220 in Barrington, Illinois will be destroying all temporary regular and special education records for students who graduated, transferred, or permanently withdrew from Barrington schools as of June 2021.
Students over the age of 18 or custodial parents interested in obtaining copies of these records may do so by contacting: Student Services Department, 847-842-3507, 515 W. Main Street, Barrington, Illinois 60010 BEFORE June 15, 2026.
Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight
Posted in Appointments, BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lennie, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Village President on April 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is scheduled to meet this evening beginning at 6:00 PM at the Village of South Barrington Village Hall, 30 South Barrington Road. Their meetings will include:
- 6:00 PM – Finance
- 6:40 PM – Nominations
- 7:00 PM – Executive Board
Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, nor are minutes, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.
Pritzker pushes housing plan described as ‘all stick,’ no carrot
Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, The Center Square, Unions, Zoning Board on April 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Pritzker’s ideal community…
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing to prevent local communities from restricting housing development, but local leaders say state preemption of local control may not address high housing costs.
The governor discussed his Building Up Illinois Developments plan during an AARP Illinois tele-town hall on Monday and said the high cost of housing burdens one in three older households.
Pritzker said said the state’s home listings have dropped 64%.
“Our failure to build is in part due to restrictive statutes and regulations in towns, cities and counties,” the governor said.
Several of Pritzker’s proposals would restrict local authority.
The Illinois Senate Executive Committee discussed House Bills 4060, 4061, 4062, 4063 and 4064 during a subject matter hearing that lasted more than five hours on Friday.
The five bills are all part of the governor’s BUILD initiative.
More here.
Related: “Pritzker’s affordable housing plan gets Senate hearing as municipalities remain opposed,” “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers,” “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”
Village Board of Trustees meet tonight
Posted in Aunt Blabby, BACOG, Board of Health, Building Department, Clown Car, ePacket Agendas, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Little Duck Butt, Minutes, OMA, Pension Funding, Plan Commission, Police Pension Board, Police Reports, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, The Land We Love Run, Tree Preservation Ordinance, Unions, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village President, Village Treasurer, Yabba Dabba Doo, Zoning Board on April 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:
- [Vote] Minutes – March 30, 2026
- [Vote] A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Contract with Corrective Asphalt Materials LLC (CAM) for Pavement Rejuvenation Application on Select Village-Maintained Roads Resolution 26 –
- QuadCom 911 Dispatch Update
- [Vote] Ordinance Amending Section 4-6-6 of the Village’s Tree Preservation Regulations Ordinance 26 –
- Register Now: Land We Love Run 5K/10K Celebrating America250 on June 28, 2026
A copy of their agenda, including info on listening to the meeting, can be viewed and downloaded here.
A World Without Billionaires
Posted in John Kass, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes, Unions on April 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Steve Huntley | John Kass News
You’ll be reading this on a tablet, smart phone, laptop or desktop computer. Pause for a moment to consider the wonder and magic of these devices.
They and the software already embedded in them, or added to meet your needs, do so much: Written, voice and video communications, and those available on a global scale. Encyclopedia-like sources of information. Entertainment, music and movies. Instantaneous complex calculations. Electronic credit card payments. Help to do your taxes. GPS-based travel instructions. Photographic and video memories of your life. And many more functions that you could add.
And the devices are wealth creators, generating jobs to make, market and distribute these remarkable products and inspiring new jobs and commerce in new businesses made possible by the digital revolution.
Yes, there are downsides such as obsessive screen time, the poison of social media, especially for children, and fears about AI. But no one would give up these devices that have so transformed and enriched our lives.
And they have more directly enriched their inventors, making some people fabulously wealthy, the most successful of them billionaires.
Some of the names behind the digital revolution are familiar. Like the late Steve Jobs, the genius of Apple. Michael Dell of the eponymous Dell Technologies. Bill Gates of Microsoft. Elon Musk, a trailblazer in internet, electric car and space ventures. Jeff Bezos who made tens of millions of us turn from the shopping mall to e-commerce. Mark Zuckerberg, a pioneer in social media. There are many other names you can add to this list of those who have enriched our lives and thereby made themselves fabulously wealthy.
Not among the names of those responsible for our wondrous modern lifestyle: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Or any of the other advocates of special taxes on the “rich.”
They are not inventors like those who gave us the smart phone. They are not creators like those who saw these amazing devices and thought up Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter or other social media platforms. They are not far-sighted investors who saw new ways to make money in the digital world, such as through Amazon, PayPal, Ebay and the like.
No, Sanders, AOC, Mamdani, Warren and their like can only come up with ways to pick the pocket of those who have prospered from their creative imaginations. These politicians and activists have more in common with thieves, parasites and leeches than they do with the inventive, visionary and original minds behind the technologically advanced world we live in today.
The feeble imaginations of these rabble-rousing politicians can only feed on envy, can only come up with new tax schemes. And those machinations, for all the high-minded words pushing them, have but one aim: to expand the reach of government and make as many people as possible dependent on government. That of course increases the power of the politicians pushing the schemes. Sanders and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna of California are proposing a new wealth tax on billionaires.
Unleash Prosperity, a free-market advocacy organization, counts eight states that “already have or are considering raising income or wealth taxes.”
Illinois Democrats are pushing a constitutional amendment for 3 percent tax on anyone making more than $1 million a year. That would hit far more than billionaires, ever increasing the tax burden of doing business in Illinois for enterprises large and small. The good news is that Democrat leaders in the Legislature don’t have the votes to get it on the ballot this year. The bad news is that they aren’t giving up and will try to get it on the ballot for the 2028 election.
Commentary continues here.
Pritzker’s affordable housing plan gets Senate hearing as municipalities remain opposed
Posted in Capitol News Illinois, Elections, Fat Bastard, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Unions, Village Code, Zoning Board on April 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »
New homes are shown under construction in Wheeling, Illinois, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
By Aidan Klineman and Medill Illinois News Bureau
Article Summary
- The Senate Executive Committee heard nearly three hours of testimony on Gov. JB Pritzker’s BUILD plan for more affordable housing in Illinois.
- Proponents of BUILD argued that the primary driver of the current housing affordability crisis is a lack of supply caused by legislative hurdles and different municipal priorities.
- Opponents argued that BUILD infringes on local authority and imposes a “one-size-fits-all” approach to residential zoning.
Read the full article here.
Related: “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers,” “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”
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