Below is the story and my interview on Fox News Chicago tonight on Illinois pensions:
UPDATE: The Illinois Legislature passed some semblance of pension reform tonight. See more details at Illinois Review.
Truth In Accounting has the following on Illinois financial troubles:
The revised numbers indicate that Illinois’ unfunded promises for state employees’ health care benefits now exceed $39.9 billion. As of June 30, 2007 this amount was calculated to be $23.9 billion. We have yet to determine why this liability went up by $16 billion [...]
The pensions in the state have gotten out of hand are a burden on the taxpayers of this state, especially since the state has no sense of responsibility in funding them properly. Below are some of the highlights (See the full list at Champion News)
3,597 Illinois “Public Servants” Receive $100,000 Plus.
Pensions In 2009 Up [...]
As many of you know I have been fighting for transparency in Grayslake District 46 for several years. To this end I am working with Americans For Prosperity (AFP) to help finally make this effort a reality. The following is the letter sent to each school board member and Superintendent Ellen Correll last [...]
The article from the Chicago Sun-Times is highlighting the need for Recess and other activities in Chicago Public Schools. In doing so they pointed out how the kids came up with a cost-free way to have after school programs to help the kids stay off the streets.
They asked parents to volunteer to lead after-school [...]
Thankfully, the 1-percent sales tax for school construction will not be on the ballot this November. Of course, the schools will regroup and try again. They always do and there is nothing the voters can do about it. The best we can do is continue to watch school spending and try to [...]
The South Town Star article stating Illinois funds 29 percent of public schools’ costs is disengenuous. This is an average across all schools in which some schools get the majority of their funding from the state and some get nearly zero. In addition, the property tax system that funds the majority of Illinois [...]
State Sen. Meeks is encouraging CPS students to skip school the first day and attempt to register at New Trier and other so called elite schools. This is a gimic that highlights the inequity in our current school funding model of funding bureaucratic districts leaving many children behind. Unfortunately, Sen. Meeks is missing the boat [...]
Does the Illinois Lottery pay for education? That is the question the Daily Herald answered a few days ago. [Emphasis Mine]
First, an answer. Yes, millions of dollars from losing Illinois Lottery tickets go to fund public education.
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The lottery began in 1974, but the money wasn’t specifically earmarked for education until 1985. That year, a new [...]
In more disturbing news from the local school districts, it was discovered that the
Grayslake Elementary District 46 overpaid 13 teachers and classroom assistants a combined $92,106 over the last two academic years
The story was in the Daily Herald. I am glad to see them continuing their reporting on the financial misconduct within the [...]
The case of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 trying to keep the former superintendents contract is a ridiculous attempt to manipulate the Freedom of Information Act. The current school administration is costing the taxpayers thousands of dollars to prevent the public from seeing what is in the contract. One part of the case [...]
The following was a letter to the editor in yesterday’s Daily Herald. How we assess properties in Illinois is a good idea, but it won’t really do anything about your property taxes unless they limit what school districts and other taxing bodies can levy.
Senate Joint Resolution 13 (SJR13) (Property Tax Assessment Freeze) allows for [...]
The Democrats and Teachers Unions are trying to kill the Washington D.C. Opportunity scholarships. In effect they are Putting Children Last instead of first. Visit the WSJ for the full article. I am going to highlight the most important quotes and statements below.
Democrats in Congress have finally found a federal program they [...]
Today is Property Tax Day, the day when the first installment of your property taxes are due. Many of you are still upset by the high property taxes. Many of you still blame the Assessor or the Treasurer, when in fact the real culprit are the taxing bodies. Just look at your [...]
State Sen. Chris Lauzen will be holding a property tax forum Monday, May 12 from 7 – 8:30 pm at the Yorkville Public Library, 902 Game Farm Road, Yorkville. (Hat tip: Daily Herald) [Emphasis mine]
As property tax bills begin to appear in mailboxes throughout Kane and Kendall counties, state Sen. Chris Lauzen, an [...]
Grayslake Mayor Tim Perry and the Grayslake Board voted 5-0 this week against the passage of SB2288/HB750. [Emphasis mine]
Grayslake village board members voted 5-0 in favor of a resolution against the Senate proposal. The village’s position will be communicated to lawmakers in Springfield.
“If there is no guarantee there is permanent property tax relief involved, it’s [...]
From the Champion News (April 10th):
Editor’s note: The Palatine District 15 School Board passed a resolution yesterday evening opposing SB2288 and HB750. The resolution passed with 6 Yes votes and 1 Abstention. Some Republican legislators are rumored to be supporting the bills, which would allow the General Assembly to override a possible Blagojevich veto. There [...]
“Reject ploy to hike taxes for education” is the title of a letter to the editor in the Daily Herald. [Emphasis mine]
State government thinks educating Illinois children is about money, not learning.
The Illinois State Board of Education regularly lowers the achievement bar so we can keep wishfully thinking no child’s being left [...]
I received the email below today from a resident of District 15/211. This was sent out by the PTA from my understanding.
The PTA, Teachers Unions, and school officials are hosting a meeting on Saturday, April 12th to push the $8 Billion Dollar tax increase known as HB750 or SB2288. Since this is [...]
The yearly effort by Illinois Legislators to raise your taxes under the guise of Education Reform has returned. this time it is under a new name SB2288. You can read the full bill and see its co-sponsors at the General Assembly website. The Senate Education Committee votes tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon on this [...]
There have been several letters to the editor in the Daily Herald the past few days. They can be found here, here and here. Two of the three rely more on an emotional appeal than facts. This is because they appear to be scared of what the district will do next [...]
Recently, the Daily Herald did a 10 piece story on School Finance in the State of Illinois.
Public schools’ revenue growth outpaces inflation
Chapter 2: Unequal state equalizer
Chapter 3: Suburban taxpayers’ heavy share
Chapter 4: 1 of every 2 education dollars stays in classroom
Chapter 5: Non-class costs weigh heavy on schools
Chapter 6: Administrator pay vs. teacher paySuper pay [...]
Do suburban schools produce better educated students? According to most parents they do. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that a study by the Pacific Research Institute shows that suburban schools are Worse Than You Think (Hat tip: Extreme Wisdom) [Emphasis mine].
Conventional wisdom holds that upscale communities tend to have “good†schools, and parents [...]
While reading this weeks Carnival of Education I came across a post entitled, Unable to educate. As I read it, all I could think about was how we have become a blank check society. The hallmark of this society is that the government has a blank check they can use to take [...]
The Jacke Kent Cooke Foundation, along with Civic Enterprises, LLC released a report on Sept. 10 on the Achievement Trap: How America is Failing Millions of High-Achieving Students form Lower-income Families. You can read their Press Release and look at the entire Report. I have excerpts of both below along with my opinions. [...]
Reading is a gateway to open the imagination of the mind for children to explore other worlds, travel into the future and the past, learn our history, and learn lessons of life. During the summer teachers across the country hand out reading assignments to encourage students minds to expand, explore and learn. The [...]
I am honored to host the 132nd Carnival of Education. Carnivals are festive events with roller coasters, slides, games, and food. There is always something for everyone. You get to pick and choose according to your tastes. That is how I view the Carnival of Education; a place where all education [...]
To see what the Washington DC Schools can teach us lets first look at some of their financial data as outlined in the article from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES):
Spends $15,414 per student (Nation Average – $8,899)
Receives $2,383 per student in Federal Subsidies (National Average – $864)
Spends $1,869 per student on “capital outlaysâ€
Spends $1,464 [...]
In an NEA cover story for July entitled “Can We Compete?â€, there are several comments I would like to discuss. The article is 6 pages long and rambles on, mostly about how testing is bad. [Emphasis mine]
The fear of competition is nothing new. In March 1958, a year after Russia launched Sputnik, the cover [...]
I recently sent a Letter to the Editor of the Herald News. It was published on July 18th. I wanted to post it here as well.
Parents, school district wrong
I found your July 8 story about the enrollment officer in the Plainfield School District to be very one-sided in favor of the school district. I [...]
