Strange that there would be two empty slots on the Crystal Lake Grade School District 47 Board.
It levies about one-third of the taxes in Crystal Lake.
Three people have filed as write-ins to join the two announced candidates.
The write-in hopefuls are
- John Pellikan
- Jonathan Powell
- Daniel (Dan) Palombit
The two incumbents that filed petitions for re-election are
- Betsy A. Les
- Eileen Palsgrove
That’s because everyone is Leaving the STATE / City due to all the TAXES sucked out of us… who can afford to stay here !?
Be sure to VET the candidates, we need pro-family people that support the teachers and really make it about the children.
What you really need is people who will hold the line on taxes and not give away the store to the teacher’s union.
Billy Bob, unless the Teacher’s in the school district vote for the people’s choice, the Union will win. The NEA was real upset when Trump won, by the time all the numbers came in, their teachers had not followed their wishes and voted Trump.
Funny how good teachers can be let go, but not the bad ones. They will keep moving the trash and raise your taxes.
I see teacher’s names on this list. How is that going to work out for the taxpayers?
Probably just as well as if you ran for office, Cindy, because you’re a teacher too!
District 47 has a history of a Union Run District and Teachers that will do anything to get their way.
No, I’m not Moderate. You are such an idiot.
Moderate is either stalking Cindy or he has a crush on her.
It’s love
Moderate is a woman, Paul.
You know me so well Cindy
Just like facts surrounding 911
Perhaps one of our State Reps. could write a bill that excludes teachers/admin or anyone currently or formerly employed by a school district from running for school board. The practice is obviously not in the best interest of taxpayers.
Xout42, not many would touch something like that, especially if they accept monies from the Teacher’s Union.
The Union Leaders would be down in Springfield screaming on the floor. There is legitimate fear of the Union, they do go after families to discredit them.
Look what they are doing to Betsy DeVoss, our new head of the Department of Education . . . it will get worse before it gets better.
That’s a great idea, Xout42. They also need to include spouses of school employees, because they have a conflict of interest too.
Sorry Cindy,
Looks like you can’t run for office.
I agree Xout. Elected officials have been taking legislative ideas from governmental bodies for too long. Allen, Steve, Barb, Pam, Dan, & David are elected to represent taxpayers, not government.
A prime example: the Legislative Committee with Nick Provenzano along with Administration asking our state legislature to change the ‘rollercoster’ that PTELL laws create with government bodies trying to manipulate law.
Think the Valley Hi tax. Administration and the Board levied out $0 in 2015 but raised it back up to almost the maximum so they wouldn’t ‘lose it forever’ regardless of the fact the county has $42M+ sitting in reserve for Valley Hi.
I was never a union teacher. (There’s an inside joke there that made me chuckle; but I don’t want to send Moderate on another lunchtime hunt for records.)
John T Pellikan
High School US History Teacher
2015 – $131,528 – 16th year teaching
2014 – $122,981
2013 – $120,914
2012 – $119,027
2011 – $107,753
2010 – $102,996
2009 – $094,398
2008 – $089,359
2007 – $083,966
2006 – $073,929
2005 – $066,855
2004 – $062,196
2003 – $056,191
2002 – $047,745
2001 – $042,363
2000 – $038,445 – 1st year teaching
source: Open the Books Widget, Better Government Association Payroll Database
++++++++++
Mr. Pellikan is in Tier I TRS.
Pension benefits are 75% of the average of the last 4 years teaching, and one can retire after 35 years of service.
Exchanging 2 years of unused sick leave for 2 years of service credit allows one to retiree after 33 years worked.
If Mr. Pellikan’s wages were frozen for the next 19 years at $131,528, his starting pension would be:
$131,528 x 4 = $526,112.
$526,112 / 4 = $131,528.
$131.528 x .75 = $98,646.
The pension increases 3% annually in retirement, which means the pension doubles after 24 years.
$98,646 x 2 = $197,292.
If he began teaching at age 22, worked 33 years and retired at age 55, and exchanged 2 years of unused sick leave resulting in 2 years of service credit, and received a pension for 24 years, at age 77 his pension would be $200,527 per year, he would have received $3,497,914 in pension benefits, and his lifetime employee contributions to the pension fund would have been recouped after a maximum of 2 years, and possibly much sooner.
Of course, he will receive salary increases, so his pension will be much higher, if he continues as a teacher or administrator in Illinois public schools.
John Pellikan & Jonathan Powell teach in Crystal Lake High School District 155.
+++++++++++++++++++
Jonathan R Powell
High School Math Teacher (Calculus)
2015 – $102,349
2014 – $099,802
2013 – $096,277
2012 – $098,509
2011 – $094,855
2010 – $090,802
2009 – $077,378
2008 – $075,381
2007 – $063,789
2006 – $052,634
2005 – $048,839
2004 – $040,740
2003 – $69 – 1st year teaching (maybe he substitute taught for a day)
Source: Open the Books Widget, ISBE TSR, Better Government Association Payroll Database
Daniel W Palombit
Associate Principal at Dundee Crown High School in Algonquin in CUSD 300.
Previous positions included Supervisory Dean, Librarian / Media Specialist (most public school librarians are also media specialists), special education teacher, and possibly more.
2015 – $83,818
2014 – $78,055
2013 – $76,792
2012 – $71,770
2011 – $70,058
2010 – $76,455
2009 – $71,695
2008 – $63,560
2007 – $53,579
2006 – $44,149 – 1st year teaching per ISBE TSR (TRS would have definitive records). Thus previous work may have been as a non certified employee such as a teacher aide or such.
2005 – $18,466
2004 – $4,090
Dr. Betsy A Les
Retired after 35 years of service from Crystal Lake Elementary District 47.
Benefit start date was July 1, 2010.
Not all of her career was spent at Crystal Lake CCSD 47.
Positions included Elementary School Principal.
An Abby Les also began working in the district as a teacher in 2007.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Recent pension history:
2015 – $113,090
2016 – $109,797
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Recent salary history:
2010 – $140,450
2009 – $132,501
2008 – $125,001
2007 – $117,925
2006 – $111,250
2005 – $104,953
2004 – $102,493
2003 – $099,750
2002 – $095,270
2001 – $090,000
2000 – $085,165
+++++++++
Pension increases 3% annually per the cost of living allowance (COLA).
Eileen T Palsgrove
Retired with 34 years of service from Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 with a benefit start date of June 29, 2002.
29 of her 32 years working were spent in Crystal Lake CCSD 47.
————–
Recent Pension History
2016 – $118,088
2015 – $114,648
2014 – $111,309
2013 – $108,067
2012 – $104,919
——————–
Recent Salary History
2002 – $121,567 – 7.25% increase
2001 – $113,349 – 16% increase
2000 – $097,734
—————-
High end of career salary increase cost taxpayers a lot of money as they spike the pension.
The practice was commonplace.
—————-
Her recently passed husband also received a TRS pension.
He retired on June 8, 1994 with 35 years of service.
2016 – $84,606
2015 – $82,142
2014 – $79,750
2013 – $77,427
2012 – $75,172
++++++++++++++++++++
The salaries and benefit hikes have hiked the pensions over the years.
They are unsustainable without dramatic tax hikes.
State income taxes will be hiked sometime soon to pay state pensions (TRS, SERS, SURS, GARS, JRS), but it will not solve the under funding problem.
It is going to get ugly in the upcoming decades in Illinois.
Allowing local school districts to dump end of career salary spikes on the state pension system was a bad idea.
Not allowing pension funding to be a subject of collective bargaining salary negotiations was a bad idea (there was no negotiating the impact of spiked pensions on the pension system).
Allowing benefit hikes while pensions were already underfunded was a bad idea.
TRS was established in 1939.
It had a predecessor which started in 1915.
The system was never fully funded.
TRS produces a document titled, Evolution of the TRS Benefit Structure which has 16 pages of benefit hikes.
TRS does not produce a document on the impact of those benefit hikes.
COGFA (part of the General Assembly) and Eric Madiar (worked as an attorney in the State Senate under John Cullerton) came to the conclusion that benefits played a small part in the pension under funding (taxpayer IOU tot he pension fund).
What a surprise, those working in the branch of government that passed all the benefit hikes came to the conclusion that benefit hikes are not a major cause of the problem.
It takes no skill to understand that 70 years ago, first fully fund pensions, then hike benefits.
It is little different than charging a credit card which has balance from the previous month, and doing so for 70 years.
Those hikes to underfunded pensions were completely preventable.
But elected legislators and Governors passed the hikes anyways, in no part due to the fact teachers are an important voting block.
This occurred repeatedly for over 70 years.
Monopoly school districts, monopoly labor unions, monopoly pension system.