CL Grade School District Has Three Write-In Candidates

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

 


Comments

CL Grade School District Has Three Write-In Candidates — 23 Comments

  1. That’s because everyone is Leaving the STATE / City due to all the TAXES sucked out of us… who can afford to stay here !?

  2. Be sure to VET the candidates, we need pro-family people that support the teachers and really make it about the children.

  3. What you really need is people who will hold the line on taxes and not give away the store to the teacher’s union.

  4. 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.

  5. I see teacher’s names on this list. How is that going to work out for the taxpayers?

  6. Probably just as well as if you ran for office, Cindy, because you’re a teacher too!

  7. District 47 has a history of a Union Run District and Teachers that will do anything to get their way.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. That’s a great idea, Xout42. They also need to include spouses of school employees, because they have a conflict of interest too.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.)

  13. 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.

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. 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).

  17. 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.

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