Reick: Remap Decision Bodes Poorly for GOP

State Rep. candidate Steve Reick’s latest post on his web site: Dance Band on the Titanic There’s an old saying that bad news comes in threes. It’s certainly true today for Illinois. First comes the news that Illinois’ insurance rates … Continue reading

Figures on D155’s 4% Annual Teacher Salary Increases

After I received the press release (15 comments so far) about the contents of the contract from Crystal Lake District 155 last night, I submitted some questions. Those questions and the answers supplied are below: What will the starting salary be … Continue reading

Retired D300 Supt. 18th Highest School Pension

From Reboot Illinois: 18. Norman Wetzel • Title: District Superintendent • Employer: CUSD 300 • Annual Pension: $246,521 • Employee Contributions: $179,203 • Age at Retirement: 55 (Retired June 2002) • Pension Paid to Date: $2.50 million • *Estimated Lifetime … Continue reading

Cary Grade School District 26’s Stand on Pension Reform

Taken from a statement from the Cary Elementary School Board:.  Considering House Speaker Mike Madigan is insistent on transferring teacher pension costs to local taxpayers and this is the last week of the legislative session before extraordinary majorities are required, … Continue reading

What is the Effect of Having Taxpayers Pick Up Teachers’ Pension Payment, plus the Employers’ Side?

The Daily Herald has figured out what the late former Huntley School Board member Larry Snow discovered in May two years ago. Taxpayers pick up the bulk, if not all, of the teachers’ side of pension payments to the Illinois … Continue reading

BGA Rolls Out State and Local Government Pension Data Base, Downstate Police & Fire Missing

An email arrived from the Better Government Association’s Andy Shaw. It announces the unveiling of its data base of state and local governmental pensions. “We’ve updated the BGA Payroll Database of 500,000 government workers with 2012 numbers and, for the first time, … Continue reading

One Reason the Teachers Retirement System Is in Trouble

I filed a Freedom of Information request with Illinois’ Downstate Teachers Retirement Fund. I came up dry and got a reply through an email. But, TRS also sent me a letter by Certified Mail I talked to them about it, … Continue reading

Crystal Lake Elementary School Doesn’t Know How Much Democrats’ Proposed Pension Shift from State to Real Estate Taxpayer Might Cost

I have to say I am disappointed that Crystal Lake District 47 has no idea of how much it might cost to shift the financing of teacher pensions from state taxpayers to local taxpayers. In a Freedom of Information Request, … Continue reading

Paying for Retirement – Teachers and Other Folk

There is a gentleman named Mike Laird who often comments on teacher pension issues. He got me thinking about compensation. His basic argument is that when the majority of teachers in Illinois pay nothing or under 2% of the 9.4% … Continue reading

51st to 100th Highest McHenry County School Administrator and Teacher Pensions

National Taxpayers United of Illinois President Jim Tobin held a press conference at McHenry County College on Wednesday in which he released pensions for the top 100 educators in the Teachers Retirement System. Yesterday, the highest pensioners were posted. All … Continue reading

Top 50 School Administrator and Teacher Salaries in McHenry County

The following pension data for McHenry County pensioners in the Teachers Retirement System was provided by Jim Tobin, President of National Taxpayers United of Illinois at his McHenry County College press conference Wednesday. All of the top fifty pensions exceed … Continue reading

Harvard School Superintendent Lauri Tobias and Union President Mary Cooke Confer with Pam Althoff re Pension Limit Busting

OK, so the type above is too small to read. Click on the image to enlarge it or trust what I have typed below is accurate: Harvard CUSD is launching a campaign to eliminate the six percent limitation on TRS … Continue reading

Harvard School Superintendent Lauri Tobias and Union President Mary Cooke Confer with Pam Althoff re Pension Limit Busting

OK, so the type above is too small to read. Click on the image to enlarge it or trust what I have typed below is accurate: Harvard CUSD is launching a campaign to eliminate the six percent limitation on TRS … Continue reading

Huntley School District Fined by IRS, Teachers Retirement Fund, Owes for Workers Comp, But Gets More State Aid; Net Loss About $13,000

In her Monthly Fiscal Report, Comptroller Stacie Talbert reported that Huntley School District 158 paid two tax penalties for March 31 and June 30, 2007 in the amounts of $824 and $4,018, respectively. This was done, “in order to avoid … Continue reading

Huntley School District Fined by IRS, Teachers Retirement Fund, Owes for Workers Comp, But Gets More State Aid; Net Loss About $13,000

In her Monthly Fiscal Report, Comptroller Stacie Talbert reported that Huntley School District 158 paid two tax penalties for March 31 and June 30, 2007 in the amounts of $824 and $4,018, respectively. This was done, “in order to avoid … Continue reading