How nice that they chose to wait until after their 2-week break during the holidays to start their strike. They are only required to give 10-days' notice, but on November 13th, they'll go ahead and give 60 days' notice? Better make sure they get their week off paid for Thanksgiving, and then their 2 weeks off paid for Christmas before going on strike one week after the holiday breaks end.

Give me the tax monies and I will happliy send my child else where.

Really? Is it possible that they have hope that a new contract might be possible? That it is at that point they will no longer work with the incompetent school board? Geez, what a bunch of Negative Nellies!
Time for people to start taking a good look at the school board and the terrible way they spend money or better yet even know which funds can be used for what!
Teacher bashers feel free to leave the district, really if you do not want to pay for your child to get a good education which means we pay our teacher what they deserve even if it hurts a little, if your child is not worth it then call your local realtor and SEE YA!

What I do not understand is why there is only one more bargaining session on November 28th before the potential strike on January 16th. You would think if both sides were serious, they would meet daily until a solution was finalized. Seems crazy to me, though I am not knowledgeable on contract mediation and timelines.

ConcernedParent46 says..."Teacher bashers feel free to leave the district"

I say...teachers who feel they soooo mistreated they have to threaten to strike, feel free to leave the district and try to find work elsewhere.

The union knows the board is inept and the taxpayers are completely dissatisfied with the board's performance (or lack thereof). What better time to strike since it pits "us" vs. "them" - and "them" is already hated by the taxpayers, so maybe the taxpayers will side with "us". Nothing like trying to take advantage of bad situation.

Disgraceful on both sides.

Regarding the strike date, it is important to keep in mind that the Union chose the date. The teachers had no say. I understand that the teachers agreed to allow the Union to 'represent' them at these negotiations and initially voted for an authorization to strike, but I wonder if the Union is truly representing the interests of the majority of teachers. These negotiations are done in a confidential manner; the details of which are not regularly passed to the teachers. I have to wonder if it is time for the Union officials to meet with the teachers to discuss these negotiations further and have a solid understanding of the offers proposed by the Board.

Group think and social pressure are quite the driving forces, especially in light of limited or inaccurate information. Studies of entire cultures have certainly demonstrated that. And, to reiterate, the Union is not keeping the teachers adequately informed.

While I may agree with you CP, that group pressure may have swayed a few of those voters but it is hard to believe it swayed that many! The 3 who voted against are probably new teachers happy to have finally gotten a teacher's job and don't want to strike for fear of losing it.

What the teachers (and the union) also need to consider is that layoffs are coming regardless if they strike or get their financial demands. Ellen stated that fact at the last meeting. However, if we do give in to their demands there will be that many more layoffs on top of what is already going to happen. Or worse yet, a school may have to be closed. How will those teachers feel (the ones left and the ones laid off) all for that extra 1,000 or so they are thinking of striking for (est 50k x 2%.)

I would love to give the teachers what they want, and most probably deserve it. BUT THERE IS NO MONEY!

I'm fascinated by folks who say the teachers deserve these raises. Sure, some of them probably deserve them and a whole lot more. Some of them probably deserve pay decreases! Bottom line is what they (or anyone) deserves and what the town can afford are two different things. Plenty of us are NOT getting guaranteed yearly raises so there is no reason they should.

Jerry, there are many factors involved in this situation and I am not naive enough to believe that any one of them is the sole factor. However, one cannot minimize the impact of social pressure, particularly when it comes to Unions. Reference the Stanford Prison Experiment and how quickly those individuals were influenced (I'm pretty sure they were some educated people). It is very hard for one to stand on his/her own two feet and express a dissenting opinion when there is extreme pressure to conform (notice the pink ‘Unity’ buttons). That is even more exemplified when there is uncertainty and an assurance that someone is looking out for your interests. I will tell you this much though, if the teachers were provided the opportunity to directly influence the decisions of the Union based on opinion that is informed by having access to the Board’s position, this would be a different conversation. Unfortunately, though, the pit bull in the form of the Union has been released and has a grip. BTW – I don’t disagree with your assessment of the Board.

Jerry, Yes, the teachers DID have access to the Board's position. They do not now. The Union is not keeping them informed of any (as they call it 'limited') movement that is being made. There have been two meetings since the 'last and best' proposals and the Union is not informing the teachers of the details of the updated Board position. Regarding the SPE experiment, it's not apples and oranges. It is a study on conformity and continued behavior in the context of tacit approval. In this situation, if the teachers do not get the opportunity to have access to new information and do not have the opportunity to express another position in light of new information, that is tacit approval of the Unions behaviors and actions and it will continue down the typical Union path.

Concerned Parent-You seem to have great inside knowledge as to what the teachers have and have not been told by the Union. Where are you getting this information? Because as I'm reading your numerous posts blasting the Union and essentially calling the teachers inept, I find myself wondering if you aren't actually a disgruntled teacher who'd rather hide behind the "Concerned Parent" pseudonym on a website blog than actually do anything about your concerns as a teacher. Seems as though you are one of those many inept lambs being led to slaughter by the big, bad Union.

Somebody is going to need to explain to me how my comments in anyway suggest that the teachers are 'inept'. Need for conformity and pressure to acquiesce to social pressure is by no means a sign of weakness or ineptness. It is a basic human condition.

To the contrary, I have a very high regard for the teachers and their abilities.

Concerned Parent-I see your point as I read your posts again. And I do agree with you that pressure to conform can play a role in decision making.
I would still like to ask how you have attained all of the information you allege in your posts.

Well said. As I've said before, teaching is collaborative between the teachers and the parents.

Well yet again there is so much negativity being thrown back and forth which you all should be ashamed of. Despite the issues going on, your children are still taught with pride, integrity and the utmost respect, something that ends as soon as they arrive home to you teacher bashers. Please feel to complain but we will continue to teach your children positive life skills in order to prevent them from becoming just like you.

Why not negotiate in public? We have the right to know how our tax dollars will be spent. Both sides should agree to move forward publicly so we can all see if there are reasonable offers being made. Every offer/counter will affect each of us in some way, whether it be our own kids, neighbors, staff, taxpayers.
I'd like to know what has been offered from both sides since the original final offers were posted.
Please, Union Reps, staff, & board, since what you do and decide affects us all, negotiate in public from here forward.

Great idea Jose!! You are right. These are our tax dollars and we should be privy to the negotiations. It directly affects us as well as the teachers.

So I just read that another business in the increasing line of business going out of business in district 46 and 127... when is enough, enough? Yet, it appears the people in charge of the UNIONS are forcing their hands to strike soon, in D46, to the demise of everyone in their districts. Teachers, students, parents, and taxpayers. These same people from the Unions will tout that it is a shame for these business owners and Grayslake, but will feel no responsibility for being part of the problem. If there was ever a time, for the Unions to not just serve themselves, but their communities, teachers, and students... it is now. I mean, which teacher's are prepared to loose their jobs over what is most likely being negotiated? What student or parent would like to look forward to not having the teacher that they hope to have next year, because of what the Union's are fighting for? You think that I am kidding? Look at the School Board meetings, folks. They are talking about closing schools! There is lots of red in their budget that they have to make up for. Lord knows, the district cannot afford anymore. You need to come to meetings and voice your concern. No one is going to be able to cover for what you have to say. YOU have to say it.

The closings of businesses in Grayslake is the fault of the teachers' union? Really? Are they picketing the businesses or boycotting? NO. Businesses are closing because the taxpayers of Grayslake aren't visiting the businesses. And because the Village of Grayslake does not allow for industry-they only want homes. This causes the property taxes to be so ridiculously high, which in turn means that the taxpayers of Grayslake cannot afford to shop. Stop blaming unions for everything.

Its expensive to live in Grayslake, I'm not going to debate that. Difference is, however, Grayslake has no debt. That's impressive and great money management, unlike what we are dealing with in the schools.

YES, Grayslake has no debt as a town -- "BUT" THAT IS NOT TRUE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS --- JUST ADD UP THE CASH FLOWS AND BOND ISSUES AND REVIEW THERE DUE DATES. !!!

It is amazing and angering that District 46 will be going on strike when the district is already, I am advised, in, or about to be, in deficit spending and their finances are weak Yes, teachers are important, but get real folks they have a full time tenured job and not only the state is broke but the district is in significant debt -- So exactly when does fiscal responsibility get included in the equation?

It is my opinion that the teachers in this economy probably are ill advised too fight the unions survival battles and probably won't get the sympathy they are looking for from parents and the community. Tax increases in Grayslake are, I suspect, out of the question given the current outrageous rates most home owners face.

I wan't to know, how do you, the school district expect to actually pay for an increase? Please clarify? Will you expect to deficit spend and them come back in 6 months and try to pass a tax increase? Or do you wait for the district to be declared insolvent? I say if you go on strike you place the Board in a tough place, they must decide do they fiscally represent the community or are they controlled by fear of the union.

.

Well said Hal. The district has a deficit budget. There has been public conversation about reducing staff to help alleviate some of the debt. Where would money come from for increases? Would people accept a large reduction in staff so others could have an increase?
It's just one old man's opinion but it seems that this isn't about whether anyone is deserving, it's about what the district can reasonably afford. With a deficit, the answer is the district can't afford to increase expenditures.
I wish everyone luck, this can't be easy for anyone.

There are plans and processes out there to satisfy both sides. The board isn't interested.

I will say that both sides are inept, but that is not going to solve my financial burden. I can only go to booth and vote to fix that problem and I plan to and have in the past. My issue is this. My wife and I both work, not only are my taxes high, which I can live with (not that I like it), but this strike is going hit deeper in my pocket book because I will have to cough up around $80 a day more in daycare to have someone watch my 2 kids full time while they are not in school. Any teachers available January 16th through the end of the strike willing to do it for free? I mean you are not doing anything and getting paid.

Terri you have said that you aren't connected but I'll make the statement and ask again: "I offered a list of ideas and so did Mr. Jarratt and they were pretty much dismissed out of hand". Did you give those ideas to the board? To the union? Were you in meetings where they chose to ignore? You make statements as fact but truthfully you have no idea if the board or union have considered any input. None of us do. Jerry hit the nail on the head: "Yes Terri I am sure the Union and its members bear no responsibility at all for the current situation...if that darn board would just give us the additional money we want this would all go away".
I've said it before, most of us support good educators and staff. We also support doing so in a sound, fiscally responsible way. Sometimes there isn't anything to give.
That fact shouldn't divide and bring out hatred.
As a senior citizen I can't go on strike until the government gives my SS an increase matching the cost of living. Men and women in the armed forces are taking freezes because they have to. Can they strike? Do you see any serviceman or woman out saying they are being treated unfairly or that the community doesn't support them?
We live in an economy that requires each of us to tighten our belt buckle and its painful for everyone. But it is reality and when no money is in the budget, its reasonable.

Back to basics. Thankfully the Village of Grayslake is great financially. That is in great part to the landfill. As for impact fees. They only go so far, and for the school district, they go toward buildings, not teachers, not transportation costs, etc. The help from those fees ended a long time ago. Our fiscal problems in the schools start at the state level, but are also affected by decisions made by the village boards in the 7 towns giving us kids. Grayslake had the master plan of houses in an inner circle, and businesses on the outer ring. That outer ring of businesses pay taxes to school districts other than D46. Round Lake Beach gave us a TIF district. Walmart was happy to not give us our proper taxes for 20 years and then move. That move decimated that entire shopping center, which I am sure has resulted in a lowering of their tax assessments. We have gotten houses from Hainesville, and the many houses of Madrona Village from Round Lake. Have you seen many businesses to help offset the cost of the students in those houses? Without the proper balance we all suffer. We may need to keep an eye on D46 & D127 and their fiscal responsibilities, but we need to push our villages to work at business development in our district if we want any real relief.

"I might add that in a successful negotiation, both sides win".

This is incorrect, in a successful negotiation both sides must sacrifice to come to a reasonable agreement. It is literally impossible for both sides to win. Lets give them all a big shinny participation trophy!

Don't think I could stand the frustration of being a school board member. When my kids were in D46, I attended EVERY board meeting and was active in the schools, but what our Illinois school districts have to deal with as a result of mismanagement at the state level, and knowing that the districts are also at the mercy of local decisions that impact them is just too much. We need to remember that our teachers are at their best when they have our support. Teachers need to remember that there are things the community simply can not always give them. Automatic pay raises and guaranteed health coverage are things of the past in so many families these days that our teachers need to be careful of coming off as asking for too much. We also need to remember that our school board is comprised on nonpaid personnel. We have the right to voice our sides of issues, but everyone, from the board to the teachers to the community at large needs to be respectful and understand that their is value in everyone's ideas. With 1 grandson in D127, 6 grandkids in d46, and 2 younger ones yet to start school, I am very concerned with how things have gone recently.

From what I have heard and read on this board, the benefit cut of $3000 is the primary point of contention. For a teacher making $50k, this calculates to a 6% pay cut. How many posters on this board are being asked to take a 6% cut in pay next year? Teachers are people, too, trying to support their families in these rough economic times we are all facing, yet people think they should just immediately "give in" to the fairly significant requests of the board without pushback? In the private sector, most businesses will exhaust all other expense reduction activities before asking their employess to take a significant pay cut. Can we assume that the board has truly exhausted all other opportunities before targeting teachers' salaries? CCSD 46 teachers are already making well below the state average, yet they are being demonized for trying to avoid cuts in pay that would take them even further below the state average. Just food for thought.

And joe, that pay cut is only for 128 of the 330. The rest get a bonus

Terri forgets that the negotiation doesn't have two sides it has three - the taxpayers are the third and in a very bad economy and d eficit spenidng school district you can't compromise when the tank is already on empty.

Joe Fox -- Let's talk about pay cuts --- most of us are not public employees and many citizens of Grayslake have been cut, not 6%, many were laid off and lost their jobs 100% not 6%. Teachers are government employees and like the rest of us when the budgets and tax rolls shrink have to adjust and sometimes take a cut. I say 6%% is a lot better than 100% that many have seen.

FYI:

Woodland School District 50, which a small population of Grayslake kids attend, has been negotiating with teachers (represented by Local 504) since January. This morning it was announced that the D50 school board and union would meet for the first time Friday with a federal mediator "to help both parties negotiate a new contract settlement."

No impasse declared as of yet, so no final offers have been made public.

Let me clarify as a person who has been on several boards --- Terri maybe you have been on a board or perhaps you are just discussing the perfect world view of what a board is supposed to represent. The facts are muddy and time will tell who represents who.

continued ---- The Union represents clearly one side, generally their own. Let me be very clear the union is not there for the children but for the contract. The board is there for the children, yes, but most of all they are sworn to the constituion and to representing the vest interest of the taxpayers and the children's parents. Children do not win a thing if the district is insolvement, ever!

With peer pressure on each teacher it is generally not clear the majority of teachers side with the union or not. Yes they vote - but ever been in a school system?

continued 2 -- Sure the Board is supposed to represent the taxpayers side -- I have been on & watched several boards & when you are so close to a board and trained by the system when you join a board -- then -- some board members do represent the taxpayers and would not consider deficit spending, ,, while other board members represent the demands of the union, the teachers, and in some cases themselves, while some board members are so close to the system they trend toward representing the administrative teams suggestions. Let me be clear many administrative suggestions are excellant, but all are the third part of the negotiating groups views. When you consider the reality of making a deficit decision in spite of a looming deficit there are then perhaps 5 or 6 sides to the negotiating table. Remember the union member negotiating is always negotiating for the union. If the union does not win the teachers don't need the union & can put their union dues in their own pockets.

So to all who have NOT been on a negotiating team - life is more complicated than it appears to be. The reality is that the inexperienced board members are up against seasoned professionals and only the wisest can do well.

My cheap advice, the board should hire a pro for their side to negotiate with the union nor send in amateurs like we were. The truth when I was on we were in better times but even so our board member reps got eaten alive & the anomosity continues between some of us even today.

http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2012/11/12/twinkies-maker-hostess-announces-shutdown-have-we-heard-this-before/

It seems that Unions would rather have employees loose jobs, than give in. What do they care though. It doesn't effect the big Union bosses. They get a BIG check to ensure that some teachers might be unemployed as the district keeps talking about.

I strongly support our children and their educaiotn but to ask the taxpayers to allow the district to deficit spend by going on strike, SHAME ON EACH OF YOU IF YOU GO ON STRIKE !!! I don't think a strike puts the teachers in a good place in any taxpayers or parents minds.

I say if they go on strike it might be tiime to consider hiring from the 1,000's of certified applications the district receives for every posted teachers position. Two things will happen, the teachers will get realistic about this economy that the members of the community already understand, and for those that don't it's a good time to retire. Besides the new teachers will save the district money.

It is time for the public employees Unions to be put in its place, enough already. My home value is down by an easy 33% but my taxes are not. Everyone I meet is struggling to make ends meet and frankly the property taxes need to decline with our home values not increase. What that means is that public employees expectations need to get real. If I were on the Board today, and lucky for the teachers I am not, I would vote to terminate the union contract if they go on strike and do whatever is needed to replace those don't don't get it.

Hi Pete

- I had my turn but I'm guessing you and others on this site with strong views have not. So with my best wishes please do. I have always felt government positions at any level should not exceed one term. However, with that said I can comment forever and frankly in my view the day has come where government, and all people involvedi n government must make hard choices and live within their means. If they can not stand tall and make hard choices for their whole community they should resign. .

Hal, in my day I sat on many a committee; although education was not one. I am up in years and while a strong view is still alive in my mind, my body fails. My interest comes from wanting to finish my life in my home. I wanted to encourage someone, anyone with the character to understand that hard choices need to be made, to run.
Again sir, I thank you for your service.

You may be older but you can still be a board member. Encouraging someone to run always begs the questions why not you. I too have already served in numerous elected and nominated offices and it is time for someone else to run. Someone hopefully with brass enough balls to do what is right for the whole community rather than for a select few. We will see if our current board has the brass to do what needs to be done or if they will cave. My few who were on the board with me didn't cave and we set this district on a solid path for the children that was also fiscally sound. Although that has been eroded the current board has a chance to show courage under fire. We will see. .

It is always interesting when someone has a comment but is afraid to come out of the dark and identify themselves or sign their name. I don't exactly recall the details of the vote but for certain I was public and I am on the record and clearly you and many others are hiding in the shadows behind no name.

It was a different economic time; D46 was sound as well as the cash flow. Peoples homes and jobs were not at the same risk. Today families don't see raises, many see job losses, & can't afford the current property tax rate that exceeds our declining homes values. We are clearly, at best, on the verge of a second recession, that's regardless of whether they fix the fiiscal cliff or not. Some may actually call what we are going through since 2008 a depression. I do !!! In my view the comparison of economic times today is a cheap shot and fairly ludicrous and pettyfogs the real issue Grayslake reality NOW.

As for voting, for me, I was in a regulated industry where an automatic obstain was required due to the potential conflicts of interest. My board knew what I thought and how I felt. Whether in principal I agreed with the contract or not is not material. Today if it is done wrong everyone will lose. Eventuallly a deficit cash flow would require teacher layoffs, increases in class size, hurt the children, further anger the parents, and eventually all will be impacted. Next point; Passing a tax referendum in these times I suspect might be a real stretch.

Nonsense Terri - teachers who have the children's best interests at heart won't quit and they would not be fired. Only a few would leave if the union contract would terminate.

However, you are probably right the weakest poorest teachers probably would need to choose alternatives. Ending the union contract in no way means ending good quality teachers. It does mean ending strikes by public employees that should not hold the comunity hostage to make a point would end. In fact having to perform regularly without tenure might actually improve our education results in Grayslake.

Simply put, the rest of us in the real world don't have tenure and needing to do a good job is what we are required to do or we would be eliminated. Noow that is the real world. Years ago teachers were underpaid for their 9 month position. Today they are no longer at the botttom of the pay scale everyone else seems to be instead. The world has turned around and public sector employees today in may cases earn more than their civilian counterparts in income as well as benefits. Equalization is not an unreasonable idea since most of us out here sign their paychecks when we send in our very high tax payments every year. My view the government sector is out of control and if we the people don't reign it in we won't have a private sector to pay teachers and they will lose their jobs anyway.

Terri - here is where you are wrong. This is all about the teachers, NOT the kids. I have 3 in the district, and they all come home with stories about what their teachers are saying about striking. It should NEVER even be brought up in the classroom. That leads to the kids worrying about all of the "What Ifs...." What is worse is when the teachers tell the kids why. And don't try to tell me it may just be one bad teacher doing the talking becasue all three of my kids are coming home with this and they all attend a different school!

Also, Terri - what promises have been broken because times are tough? I dont see anything on the table that breaks a promise. Nothing is ever guaranteed forever. The pension deficit in insurmountable as it stands today. The responsible thing to do is to address it now, and freeze all pension accruals starting asap. Then establish a new set of guidelines that can be acheived, and move on. This happened in the private sector years ago. We can not afford to pay pensions to retired teachers for over 20 years, on average. They take out more than they put into the system, and it is not sustainable. What is worse is that my grandkids will one day still be paying off the unfunded pensions. At some point, enough is enough. When I entered the workforce in the 1980s, healthcare was free, 401(k) matches were generous, and benefits were given more freely. We live in a different world now - it is time the public sector woke up to that.

I must be obtuse because I don't understand why or how negotiations continue. There is nothing to give! When you are broke you can't give. When you have a deficit you don't increase your expenditures! What's left to talk about? Can't increase salaries, no money. Can't gaurantee years of salary spikes before retirement, no money in district or state. Healthcare isn't changing but a few may have to take a little less ($34/week). There are no promises broken. The only thing that has changed is that the union won't find support for ramming unsustainable costs down the taxpayers throat.
Why is going to work today, for the same amount you went to work for yesterday, a bad thing?

There are promises that need to be kept. I would suggest you try not paying your mortgage, taxes and car payment to see what happens when you don't do what you said you'd do. I won't argue whether or not you're obtuse; however, the term might fit if you continue to see only one side of the issue.

Terri the difference between you and I is that I do see both sides. Ironic that you elude to answering my rhetorical question when you yourself have been the only person to continually force feed your opinion as fact to the rest of us.
There are plenty of us who struggle to pay our mortgages, taxes, car payments because we've lost jobs, not seen increases, taken pay cuts (which is vastly different than taking a lower increase in salary).
If you want to keep boo-hooing about broken promises, take it to the state. As far as the district goes, the current contract has expired, ergo, no promises.

Terri, you need to learn a lot more about economics. Here's a lesson for you: When you don't have it, you can't give it.
It doesn't get any more simple than this.

Your philosophy of "investing in balance through deficit" is more commonly refered to as "robbing peter to pay paul". With that mindset, you must work for the state.

No...that has actually been the board's approach in their last offer.

Terri, where, exactly, should the money come from to ensure that every teacher continues to get more while the rest of us are stuck with less? Please outline where those dollars are.

As to you comments above about broken promises, there needs to be a new contract. The existing contract's promises were met, and now there will need to be a new one. No one can promise anyone they will get something in 25 years because no one can see into the future to know for certain that the promise is feasible. Sometimes we need to make adjustments, and now, as far as I can tell, is the time for such adjustments. The private sector lost pensions years ago. Very few employers offer them becasue no one can pay an retiree for doing nothing for years. Perhaps you should study economics to know that you can fund these things perpetually. Teachers can retire at 55-56. Average life span is now over 75. Let's say a teacher contributes, over their career, $210,000 (10% of $60,000 for 35 years - used 60K as an average - when they retire, the pension will be based on their highest three years.). That $210,000 will not go too far over 20 years (assuming a life span of 75). For 20 years, that would average $10,500 per year, but we all know the pension will be much higher than that. So, that brings me back to my question - where will the money come from?

Terri you are just one more in a long line of people who speak a loud sound and do not identify themselves as they throw stones. Of course taxpayers sign their paychecks maybe not in signature but in reality without our property tax payments there would be no school district -- so please cut the nonsense.

As for public worker strikes, that too is nonsense and don't give me the kids will be hurt. We have seen many out of work and have lost their homes as the strike puts the district in a place to just keep on spending as if life in this country hasn't changed enough already.

I guess to me I don't mind the children being briefly inconvenienced if people stop losing their homes and stop losing their jobs. their children are being torn from their schools and uprooted from their lifestyles. It just seems anytime someone wants something in a school district and the argument doesn't go their way they use the children as a shield rather than face the reality and ask teachers to stand down and start making a few more reality checks. It's time they thought about the children.

Actually, they cannot retire at 55 without significant penalty. At 55 with 30 years service a pension might be $40-$50k. If the state had followed the law and made their contributions over the past 30 years, the annuity would be more than enough to cover the pension promise.

A budget deficit isn't wiped out in a single stroke. Good planning, sensible concessions, and a supportive community can turn this deficit to surplus in a few short years. That's what reserves are for.

Terri --- One more thing, If children are so important to the teachers why is there a strike date set? Perhaps you have never lost a job or are in a job you can't lose with no risk? That isn't the case for most of us, We are at risk everyday. Or maybe you just can't see or understand just how big an economic problem this country and our state are in today?

Like I said you are not identifiied and not standing in the light of day and that makes your words less than credible and perhps even more so unreliable. My name is attached to my views along with all that that entails publicly. My name was public when I was on the D46 Board, when I was Preesident of the D46 Bpoard, and it is today public today. So why don't you just include your real name?

I wonder what a fair teachers' salary should be in the Grayslake community? $50k? $25k? $10k? I believe the current average is $52k in D46, which is well below the state average. Can a head-of-household teacher supporting a family of 4 do so in Grayslake on a salary of $40k? Should an educator who has invested in a bachelor and master degrees be paid more than $50k? I wonder how this compares to other respectable jobs in the community? Should the residents of the district expect to pay their teachers "comparable" salaries of surrounding communities? Should Grayslake teachers just view their jobs as temporary stepping stones to jobs in "better" communities in "better" districts? It would be interesting to hear thoughts from posters.

10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About IL State Pensions.

1. Taxpayers have contributed more, not less, than the 1995 50-year pension funding law required.

2. Since 2001, taxpayers have contributed 230% more than teachers to the Teachers Retirement System.

3. Less than 1% of state retirees worked 40 years.

4. The supposedly "modest" average state pensions are worth 4 times Social Security.

5. State retirees have used more than 132,000 years of sick-leave credit to receive extra pension without actually having to work for it.

6. Over 44,000 retirees have annual pensions greater than their total contributions over their entire career.

7. The reason TRS pension liability is so high is because teachers are vastly overpaid compared to adjoining states.

8. If IL teachers had the same salary and pension schedule as Wisconsin, we would save more than $4 billion/yr. enough to make the annual pension payment.

9. If the pension rules in effect in 1970 when the "Pension Guarantee" was added to the state constitution were still in effect there would be no unfunded pension liability.

10. Teachers’ unions have given IL politicians of both parties more than $50 million in contributions since 1995.

http://www.championnews.net/2012/10/23/10-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-il-state-pensions-2/

Joe
Thank you.
First of all, a teacher with a family of 4 in CCSD 46 would be paying $15,000 plus off-the-top for health insurance.
I don't believe teachers in the district use it as a stepping stone. We have many quality career teachers in the district. The Golden Apple Foundation has recognized 250 teachers for excellence over the past 25 years. A dozen of those were from Lake County. 3 were from CCSD 46.

Contrary to public opinion in the community, at least on these boards, the teachers really do what they do for the kids. They don't aspire to be the next president of the 5th grade, or look forward to the next promotion. They pay generously from their own pockets for children's supplies, even food and clothes. They fund their pensions double what the private sector is required, while their employer illegally takes "pension holidays" for decades.

The district board made an offer to the teachers that was overtly an attempt to polarize them. It failed miserably and we're all paying the price. Both sides need to sit down and be sensible.

39 emails today from this string; I am starting to change my opinion about teacher bashing...No one questions devotion of teachers to their students, so don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. The issue is MONEY, we have none left to give. Contracts can be severed, legally, with cause—contract law is my profession. There has been enough of passing the buck in Grayslake, so much so that the taxpayers have no more to give. Go ahead and put this to a public vote, my bet is that the schools will close indefinitely until a reasonable solution can be found. Keep up the rhetoric and the gov’t may just step in and clean house just like CPS. Be grateful you still have a job, can pay your bills and have medical coverage—you are better off than most at this time. BTW, district medical coverage is 200% better than anyone of us in the private sector can get, so take that into consideration on compensation.

I wonder if given the choice, would D46 teachers do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoQICRKhkW4&feature=share