Harvard Community Unit School District 50 is inviting community members to help shape the district’s future through a comprehensive community engagement process. Superintendent Dr. Brandon C. White shared the following message with the community:
Dear community members,
At Harvard Community Unit School District 50, we believe in educational excellence and lifelong learning for all. We are preparing a community of learners by cultivating academic, social, and emotional skills to maximize each student’s potential.
Our district is one of the most unique school districts in the entire state, combining diversity with a multi-generational history and a small town feel with a spirit of innovation.
Harvard truly is rising. While we know we have more work to do, we are excited to see our students progressing and our schools improving. We’ve improved in 9th Grade on Track, a key predictor of high school success, from 58% in 2022 to 82% in 2025. Our high school graduation rate has increased substantially, now up to 88%. We enroll 24% of students in dual-credit courses, well above the state average.
We’ve achieved these improvements while remaining fiscally responsible. Since 2018, we have made significant progress paying off debt, with multiple bonds due to be paid off in the coming years. Our wise financial decisions have led to our tax rate dropping from 6.57% in 2018 to 5.36% in 2024. We’ve even been able to give back to taxpayers, abating over $650,000 to district taxpayers over the past three years.
More improvements are needed, and we are committed to that work—but our limited funding makes this extremely difficult. Our district is funded at only 72% adequacy, designated by the state as a Tier 1 district, meaning we are among the lowest funded districts in the state. Our community has the lowest Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) per pupil of any district in McHenry County.
While our staff and teachers do the best they can with the funding we have available, this limited funding slows our ability to make the improvements we desire, our community demands, and our students deserve. With the hard work our teachers put in and the potential of our students, we know if we give them the learning environments and tools they deserve, their performance will skyrocket.
Even with our limited budget, we have made improvements to our facilities in recent years to support our students. But there is only so much we can afford to do, especially with our school buildings aging—Harvard High School opened in 1921.
The good news is that our district’s fiscal responsibility provides a unique opportunity to make significant progress improving our infrastructure and enhancing learning environments at limited-to-no additional cost to taxpayers.
With bonds being paid off, and with land already purchased near the high school, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the trajectory for our district, our students, and our entire community.
This week, we are kicking off our formal community engagement efforts that will be conducted throughout 2026 to collaborate with community members to develop a sustainable, long-term plan for District 50’s future.
Please participate in our first phase of community engagement by reviewing this presentation (English or Spanish) and filling out this feedback form (English or Spanish). The survey will remain open through Friday, February 20.
Thank you for participating in this important community-driven process. Together, we will determine a plan for the future of our schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brandon C. White
Superintendent, Harvard CUSD 50