Letter to the editor
2009 Tax Levy Increase Excessive
Barrington , hold on to your hats! Despite the turmoil in our economy Barrington CUSD220 School Board Trustees decided to ask for a 15% increase in the tax levy. Yes, that’s 15%. The School Board has stated they know they will not get that amount of increase because of the CPI and Tax Caps. The School Board always employs this technique in order to capture the maximum amount of dollars.
For the year ending June 2008, the District received $10 Million more in revenues than the year before and expended $15 Million more than the year before. According to the School Board Trustees that is called “fiscal responsibility.”
Now here is the feather in the hat. Barrington CUSD220 will soon (if they are not already) be involved in teacher contract negotiations for the period beginning 9/2009. The last teachers’ contract was negotiated during a good economy, full of perks and substantial increases and not necessarily the best contract for taxpayers. We MUST watch the School Board to make sure they do not negotiate a contract that is unsustainable. Many school districts are cutting expenditures at this time because of the current economy. Everyone should be aware of this situation and let your voice be heard.
Carol Schubert
Friday, February 6, 2009
Will the school board and union be responsible?
To the editor:
I would like to thank the Cuba Township board of trustees for its recent decision to shelve a tax rate increase. They considered that while the economy is in recession and people are struggling, that they would tighten their belts just like the rest of us. Thank you Cuba Township for all you do and your careful consideration.
The township portion of our property tax bill is only a fraction compared to the school district portion. 2/3 to ¾ of the bill goes to School District 220 and the bulk of that goes to salaries and benefits, contractually prescribed. Our current obligation expires end August ’09 so negotiations should soon be underway for the next 3 years arrangement.
The prior contract gave the teachers 5% in 2008-09 plus a 2-4% “step increase”, most totaling 7.5% to over 8%, some reaching almost 10%. The medical plan is paid 100% by the taxpayers. Dental, long term disability and a $35,000 life insurance benefit are all gratis. Retirement bonuses from $17,500-$45,000 depending on years worked but retirement as early as age 55 with as much as 75% of the 4 highest of your final 10 years would be a dream for the “regular Joe”. And add in a 3% cost of living increase every year. 12-23 paid sick days plus 2 “personal” days per year that can be accumulated; all of this adds up to an extremely generous package especially combined with an AVERAGE salary of almost $66,000. (2007).
I would ask the union and the school board to be as responsible as our township has been. Many in the private sector have taken reductions to keep jobs and businesses. Neighboring school districts are also reducing expenditures. Our district should be equally responsible.
Christine Boreland
I would like to thank the Cuba Township board of trustees for its recent decision to shelve a tax rate increase. They considered that while the economy is in recession and people are struggling, that they would tighten their belts just like the rest of us. Thank you Cuba Township for all you do and your careful consideration.
The township portion of our property tax bill is only a fraction compared to the school district portion. 2/3 to ¾ of the bill goes to School District 220 and the bulk of that goes to salaries and benefits, contractually prescribed. Our current obligation expires end August ’09 so negotiations should soon be underway for the next 3 years arrangement.
The prior contract gave the teachers 5% in 2008-09 plus a 2-4% “step increase”, most totaling 7.5% to over 8%, some reaching almost 10%. The medical plan is paid 100% by the taxpayers. Dental, long term disability and a $35,000 life insurance benefit are all gratis. Retirement bonuses from $17,500-$45,000 depending on years worked but retirement as early as age 55 with as much as 75% of the 4 highest of your final 10 years would be a dream for the “regular Joe”. And add in a 3% cost of living increase every year. 12-23 paid sick days plus 2 “personal” days per year that can be accumulated; all of this adds up to an extremely generous package especially combined with an AVERAGE salary of almost $66,000. (2007).
I would ask the union and the school board to be as responsible as our township has been. Many in the private sector have taken reductions to keep jobs and businesses. Neighboring school districts are also reducing expenditures. Our district should be equally responsible.
Christine Boreland
Sunday, February 1, 2009
BETA Comments
The current teachers’ contract was finalized in December 2005 for a 3-year term beginning September 2006 and expires August 2009. That contract provided very generous pay increases over the three-year period. It also continued the practice of paying for a significant portion if not all of the cost of teacher benefits.
Since these negotiations lack any public scrutiny let alone citizen input, this lack of transparency in the process does raise questions. Some might suggest that the School Board will act responsibly without public input, but their history has not suggested that. In that light, BETA makes the following observations and suggests actions on the part of the BETA membership and citizens.
Since these negotiations lack any public scrutiny let alone citizen input, this lack of transparency in the process does raise questions. Some might suggest that the School Board will act responsibly without public input, but their history has not suggested that. In that light, BETA makes the following observations and suggests actions on the part of the BETA membership and citizens.
- Will the School Board and the union make the right decision relative to teachers' pay and fall in line with the pay practices now being enacted across the country during these troubled times or will teachers’ receive generous increases as they did under the last contract? Some teachers received increases in excess of 8% for the school year 2008 – 2009.
- Taxpayers residing in CUSD220 have seen the value of their homes decrease and many aregiving up their raises or are being asked to work a shorter work week in order for their employer to survive. Will the teachers' union acknowledge the reality of the economy in their negotiations and consider the affordability of the cost of their contract decisionsto the taxpayers? Will the union and the School Board look for ways to reduce spending in order to minimize the tax impact on taxpayers living in the District? Many taxpayers do not realize that as their home values fall and as the taxing bodies continue to increase their tax levy requests, ultimately their property taxes must increase to fund the operating budgets of the various taxing bodies. The tax levy drives the amount of taxes we pay! The escalating cost of operating our schools is not sustainable at which point the system will be in crisis.
BETA Calls on the CUSD 220 School Board to Take Action
Reduce spending and enact scrupulous expense control .
Reduce compensation expenses and growth in teaching staff. Freezing salaries for teachers may be appropriate in the early years of the new contract.
Examine the cost of teacher benefits and bring line with corporate America practices:
- The Board pays for a Dental program for the teacher (page 47 CUSD220/BEA contract)
- The Board pays 100% of individual coverage and 50% of dependent coverage for medical (page 47)
- The Board pays for Life Insurance coverage of $35,000 (page 47)
- District provides for the full cost of long-term-disability coverage (page 46)
- In corporate America, employees share in the cost of these benefits or do not have them at all
Abate the growth in teacher counts and effect staffing reductions as appropriate.
Aggressively reevaluate Work Rules to assure that they are not driving up staffing needs unnecessarily.
BETA calls for citizens to express their opinion
Every taxpayer in District 220 needs to take action
- Write email to the School Board members. Use one click here to bring up your email client, write your comments and send them to all the members at the same time. Individual email addresses are available at http://www.betaonline.us/ in the Contact section of the site.
- Visit the BETA Blog web http://betamembers.blogspot.com/ for a continuing flow of information which provides you with the opportunity to share your views with the community. BETA plans to communicate with School Board members and share commentary. Be sure to save the BETA Blog in your Favorites.
- Send letters to the editor of the Daily Herald and the Barrington Courier. Click links for email address.
- Attend Board meetings and present your comments. The next several board meetings are: February 3, February 17, March 3, March 17, April 7 and April 21.
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