has sent word to the state capitol opposing legislation that would force Illinois' schools to bear the full burden of paying staff pensions.
And the district's officials are urging residents to do the same. They sent a letter earlier this month asking community members to contact senators Edward Maloney, and Christine Radogno, as well as state representatives Roberta Rita, William Cunningham, Monique Davis, Charles Krezwick and Renne Kosel. School officials said the pension legislation would tack an extra $14 million in annual expenses onto the district.
"It is important for the District 230 community to understand this issue and the potential impact that shifting the state’s portion of these pension contributions onto local school districts would have on our students and community," the letter says.
Teachers’ Retirement System, or TRS, pension covers certified employees including teachers, administrators, social workers and counselors. Currently, a TRS employee pays 9.4 percent of his or her salary into the pension system.
By comparison, typical U.S. workers pay 6.2 percent of their pay into Social Security. TRS employees pay 1.45 percent into Medicare, as other U.S. workers do. The local school district then pays another portion of the pension contribution and the state pays its share.
State legislators are proposing that the portion that would typically be paid by the state become the responsibility of local school districts and in turn, that of local taxpayers. If the legislation goes through, D230 would have to cut personnel and programs, the letter says.
has made similar claims. The board voted last week to also send its disapproval for the legislation to the state, according to a story in Orland Park Patch.
"We want to encourage as many people as possible to call Springfield about this," Interim Superintendent Dennis Soustek said. "We really think it's a foregone conclusion that this will be presented."
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When my mom taught in the private sector, there were times her paycheck bounced. She would work well in excess of 40 hours a week. Even now, she works far more than 40 hours a week for less pay per hour than people with half the education. Secondly, the money that goes to public schools teachers does come from tax payers like you and me, but they pay taxes too. Teachers don't get social security because of systems like TRS. They pay into it as any typical employee would pay into a pension fund, however they don't have the choice.
Next we need to have a serious look at the number of ultra-high paid administrators we have at each of our school districts. Do we really need that many, and why is a quarter-million dollar salary the norm just because someone has "PhD" attached to their name? Have these people actually taught a class anytime in the recent past? Lastly, examine the Illinois State Board of Education website. Read into it carefully, and you'll discover the jumble of testing standards, guides, etc., that have so weakened our school systems with tons of regulation. This is the kind of crap that forces a school district to hire so many staff members just to figure out what we're doing to educate our children. Not to mention, how many people are employed by the ISBE in Springfield to think up this stuff, and how much are THEY being paid and sucking from the system? Time to back up, people, and let's get back to basics! Let the teachers, not stuffed shirts, earn their money and free them up to REALLY teach our children.