This a request to all parents who have children attending school in McHenry and Lake County IL to sign this petition. In addition to signing this petition please contact your state representative and state senator personally to express your view and ask them to vote “No" on Senate Bill 16. Please forward this petition to all your friends. After collecting sufficient signatures we can forward this petition to the state representatives to demonstrate the unified voice of parents with children throughout McHenry and Lake County.

Senate Bill 16’s potential negative impact on McHenry and Lake County

A proposed bill called Senate Bill 16 has been created to change the way we fund public education in Illinois. As introduced, this bill will have a direct and negative impact on McHenry and Lake County schools and its residents.

What is SB16?

Last July, a committee of state legislators was charged with recommending ways to improve public education funding in Illinois, which has remained unchanged since 1997. The result of the task force was the creation of Senate Bill 16.

If enacted into law, SB16 will make sweeping changes in how the state funds education. Generally, school districts with higher assessed property values, like ours, will receive much less state funding. Other districts will receive much more in state funding.

SB16 does not increase the level of education funding, but rather it changes the way in which limited state funding is distributed among school districts.

How will SB16 impact McHenry and Lake County?

As a whole, SB16 would phase out $18.4 million from all McHenry County school districts and $6.6 million from Lake County school districts located in the 32nd Senate District. Many school districts will face draconian cuts in state education funding. In McHenry County, seven districts will lose over 70% of current funding. Three Lake County school districts in the 32nd Senate District will lose more than 75% of funding.

This will result in cuts to arts and sciences, after-school and extra-curricular programs, and salary cuts or layoffs for teachers and faculty. Additionally, higher property taxes will be needed to supplant the loss of state funding.

SB16 is loosely modeled after an effort in Massachusetts. Their General Assembly provided $1 billion in new money. There is no new money in SB16. This legislation is a redistribution of current resources.

What can you do?

SB16 has already passed the Senate. It is expected that the House will vote on SB16 this fall. We need your help. Please contact your Illinois Representative and Senators to voice your opinion. The State Senators who serve McHenry and Lake Counties:

NO - Senator Pam Althoff, District 32, info@senatordavesyverson.com, (815) 987-7555
NO - Senator Karen McConnaughay, District 33, senator@karenmcconnaughay.com, (847) 214-8245
PRESENT – Senator Melinda Bush, District 31, (847) 548-5631
YES – Senator Terry Link, District 30, (847) 821-1811
YES - Senator Andy Manar, District 48, (618) 635-2583
YES - Senator Michael Noland, District 22, (847) 214- 8864
YES - Senator Linda Holmes, District 42 holmes42Wsenatedem.illinois.gov, (630) 801-8985

McHenry and Lake County is served by the following State Representatives:

Representative David McSweeney, District 52, ilhouse52@gmail.com, (847) 516-0052
Representative Timothy Schmitz, District 65, info@timschmitz.org, (630) 845-9590
Representative Michael Tyron, District 66, mike@miketryon.com, (815) 459-6453
Representative Jack Franks, District 63, jack@jackfranks.org, (815) 334-0063
Representative Barbara Wheeler, District 64, repwheeler64@gmail.com, (815) 748-3494
Representative Sam Yingling, District 62, repsamyingling@gmail.com, (847) 231-6262
Representative Sheri Jesiel, District 61, jesiel@ilhousegop.org , (847) 855-8600
Representative Rita Mayfield, District 60, (847) 599-2800
Representative Carol Sente, District 59, (847) 478-9909