Gov Quinn Trying to Stick Local Districts with $20+ million tab
The latest salvo from the Democrat leadership in Springfield‘s (Governor Pat Quinn, Senate President Cullerton, and House Speaker Mike Madigan) War on Education is that the Democrat leadership now is pushing the state’s contribution to the Teacher’s Retirement System (TRS) onto the local school districts.
There are two primary reasons the Democrats are doing this. First, the Democrat-dominated state government has been overspending at an alarming rate and now the the bills are overdue from their reckless behavior. The state’s credit rating has been lowered several times, the Democrats can no longer support the spending they promised to their political allies. Governor Quinn, Senate President Cullerton, and Speaker Madigan will simply send the bill to the school districts and wipe their financial obligation to the teacher’s pension fund off the state’s books.
The second reason is more cynical and nakedly political. Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan are hoping to turn the fury of taxpayers for their fiscal mismanagement away from them and direct it at the local school boards. This tactic buys them time. Time to get their majorities re-elected in November, time to placate their interest groups they depend on for political support. This maneuver will force local school districts to cut services, fire staff, and raise taxes. No option will be popular. Justifiable outrage will flow from residents, but instead of directing it at those who caused this fiscal crisis (Quinn, Cullerton, Madigan), it will be directed at our local school boards.
Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan are banking the largely politically naïve school boards will be unable to handle the pressure placed on them by residents, furious their tax bills are going up while student services for their children are cut. If the education quality of a community declines, so do property values, and tax revenue to schools. It is a vicious cycle set in motion by Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan.
The cost of this proposal to District 135 is an estimated $8 million, District 230 approximately $12 million, and District 146 $1.6 million. These are dollars taken right from the classroom.
Some may say the state was paying the districts’ obligations for them and now they finally have to stop. That would be incorrect. It was the state that established the current contribution schedule, and it was the state that established the state’s contribution. Now the state wants to unilaterally
default. This amounts to an enormous cut to the quality of education in our area. Governor Quinn promised he would not do this as evidenced by his own
commercial during the 2010 campaign. The link to the video is above.
We, the parents and taxpayers, have to hold Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan accountable and force them to meet the state’s obligations to TRS. The unions are refusing to concede and Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan are unlikely to pressure the unions, their long time erstwhile allies, especially in an election year.
It is time Quinn, Cullerton, and Madigan stop using our kids as weapons in the War on Education. In a time when President Obama calls for shared sacrifice, the kids and property owners of Illinois should not be doing all the sacrificing. It is time we make our state legislators, and the candidates seeking the post, be held accountable.
rich
4:54 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
They have been passing the buck for too long by deffering these contributions and now to just walk away and pass it to the local districts is garbage. If this keeps up Illinois will be a ghost town. People are losing their jobs, taxes are trough the roof and businesses are leaving. While it isn't all his fault this isn't the way to fix it!!
Steven Williams
8:52 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Under your second point, you left out this doesn't affect Chicago Public Schools, only the suburbs and downstate districts. With the new gerrymandered districts for the House and Senate snaking their way from Chicago into the suburbs, the new districts are potentially packed with enough city voters to offset any anger from suburban voters when they go to the polls in November, allowing the same leaders to retain control despite their malfeasance.
Dean Casper
10:55 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
You are correct Steven. The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have a separate pension plan, and own union. Quinn's proposal would effect all 868 local districts outside Chicago. No surprise Madigan drew many legislative and congressional districts that run from Chicago to the collar counties. In the 2010 elections, the Democrats were pummelled outside of Chicago and a few suburban townships. In the 5 competitive congressional races in Illinois, the Republicans won all 5.
After 10 years of complete Democrat control of state government, (governor, house, senate) has brought Illinois to the brink of bankruptcy, collapse of our public education system.
Again, voters have to take their share of responsibility by continuously re-electing these failed public servants. I have not seen ANY candidate for the legislature in our area speak out against the Democrat leadership's War on Education. Forcing the state's TRS payments onto districts, coupled with elimination of transportation mandate reimbursement, will destroy local public education. Effective programs will be cut, teachers and staff terminated, and property taxes raised.