Illinois lawmakers have one of the sweetest retirement deals on planet earth

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April 2, 2016

MAR 31, 2016 @ 11:37 PM 26,288 VIEWS
The ‘Pension Palace’ For Illinois Lawmakers 2016
Adam Andrzejewski
CONTRIBUTOR
I cover the “daily greed” of national, state, and local politics.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Nobody knows how to game the system for personal gain like an Illinois lawmaker. The political class voted themselves tens of millions of dollars in lifetime pension payouts. It’s time end their ‘pension palace.’
Illinois lawmakers have one of the sweetest retirement deals on planet earth. It’s supposed to be a ‘part-time’ job in the general assembly, but now taxpayer funded legislator pension costs exceed most base salaries. Last year, taxpayers paid a whopping $71,818 per legislator ($15.8 million in FY2015) to fund their ‘golden parachute’ retirement plans. See the top all-time General Assembly Retirement System pensions here.

President Obama addressed the Illinois General Assembly at the Illinois State Capitol on February 10, 2016. Most of the IL lawmakers have designed their very own ‘pension palaces.’ Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

At OpenTheBooks.com, we looked at who’s receiving what, when and for how long. The results would make Public Enemy #1, the 1930s bank robber John Dillinger, blush. For example, the #1 all-time pension goes to a 31-year long-forgotten state senator. Retiring from Springfield in 2000, with a pension spiking stop at the Chicago schools, Arthur Berman (D) now takes $19,652 a month ($235,824) in annual pension – nearly four times more than he ever made as a Springfield lawmaker.

Here are just some of the Illinois lawmaker ‘big-dogs’ from both parties:

Retired Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley (D) makes $132,384 a year in state lawmaker pension – from a short eight-year ‘career’ as a state senator (plus some pension spiking tricks).
Former Governor Jim Edgar (R) costs taxpayers $337,816 per year: a $156,324 pension, plus an $181,492 salary (FY2013) at our flagship University of Illinois at Champaign.
In 2010, former Governor George Ryan (R) had a $197,028 annual pension ($16,419/month), but it was stripped away by the successful public corruption prosecution conviction.
Even former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (R) cashed in for a $28,020 ($2,335/month) legislative state pension before heading off to his congressional career.
Both Democrats and Republicans have engineered a system of compliance and largesse – give no pain to party leadership and the lawmaker gets all the gain. As soon as lawmakers ‘retire,’ they move into a pension palace.
Of course, even the losers get into pension palace. Consider the ‘casualties’ of the 2014 elections:
- Governor Pat Quinn (D) lost re-election and immediately started collecting $133,164 ($11,097/month). Quinn was also a previous treasurer and lieutenant governor.
- State Treasurer Dan Rutherford (R) lost in the republican primary for governor and immediately started collecting $132,624 ($11,052/month). Rutherford was a previous state representative and senator since 1993.
- House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R) lost the race for state treasurer and immediately filed for his $81,012/year ($6,751/month) pension. Cross was a state representative since 1993.
- State Senator Kirk Dillard lost two republican primary gubernatorial elections, served in the state senate from 1994-2014, and filed for his state pension: $6,831 per month ($81,972/year).
Widely reported in 2011, former State Treasurer and State Representative Dawn Clark-Netsch (D) paid back $10,000 from her pension to the state. She thought the benefits were too lucrative and inappropriate.
Yet, Illinois politicians who feel such remorse are rare. For example, former State Representative Judy Erwin (D–Chicago) spent ten years in the house and then was able to spike her pension with an appointment to the Board of Higher Education with a salary of over $191,000 annually. Edwin’s pension is now #3 on our list in FY2015: $164,004 per year ($13,667/month).

Another example is the former State Representative Gary Hannig (D) who served ten years through 2009. In the same year, Hannig took the top job at Illinois Department of Transportation paying $150,228 per year. He stayed only 27 months, just enough time to pump his pension to $150,960 annually ($12,580/month). Then-Governor Pat Quinn rehired Hannig at nearly $150,000 in a new position – as his Director of Legislative Affairs. All told, Hannig was making $300,000. Not bad for a ‘public servant.’
New Governor Bruce Rauner (R) and 37 legislators – first led by State Representative Tom Morrison (R) in 2011 – refused to participate in the lawmaker pension plan. That’s a full one-fifth of the Illinois General Assembly – from both parties. These declinations saved Illinois taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in future payouts.
Incredibly, the General Assembly Retirement System is only 16.8% funded (FY2015). So despite hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollar funding over the years for a very small number of participants, it just wasn’t even to satisfy lawmaker greed. Taxpayers are on the hook for an even bigger future bill.
In Illinois, the pension palace is one part of the housing bubble that never burst. But, when it does, everyone in the state but the beneficiaries will pay.
Update: In 1995, State Rep. Dave Leuchtefeld (R) was the first to opt out of the General Assembly Retirement System. In 2010, two months before Tom Morrison, State Rep. Ron Sandack (R) opted out of the pension and healthcare benefit. Sandack has since advocated for his HB138 legislation that would kill pensions for lawmakers.
Who are ‘The Big Dogs of Illinois Municipal Government 2016?’ Read our recent Forbes editorial.
Adam Andrzejewski is the founder and CEO of OpenTheBooks.com – the world’s largest private repository of public spending. This article is based mostly on our FOIA requests.

THOUSANDS EXPECTED TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GUN CONTROL

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willco2

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April 1, 2016

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THOUSANDS EXPECTED TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GUN CONTROL

CONTACT: Richard Pearson, Illinois State Rifle Association, (815) 635-3198

WEB SITE: http://www.isra.org

SPRINGFIELD, IL – – The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):

Thousands of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners will converge on the state capitol on Wednesday, April 6^th to remind the General Assembly that concern for gun rights remains high across the state.

Wednesday’s event, widely known as the Illinois Gun Owner Lobby Day (iGOLD), will kick off with a rally at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center at 10:30 followed by a march to the Lincoln Steps where the group will be addressed by legislative leaders. From there, gun owners will enter the Capitol building to meet with their respective State Senators and State Representatives. The topic of the discussion will be, of course, gun rights.

“These are interesting times for the United States, and Illinois,” commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. “Nationwide, interest in firearms is skyrocketing – primarily out of the public’s fear about crime and terrorism. Here in Illinois, first time FOID card applications are being filed at a record pace and the monthly tallies of firearm purchase background checks are setting records of their own.”

“Firearm instructors are swamped with requests for training. Shooting ranges are packed not only on weekends, but during lunch hour and after work as well,” continued Pearson. “We’ve had a number of new shooting ranges open up in the Chicago area yet the lines of people waiting to shoot continue to grow. Let’s face it – firearms and the shooting sports become more and more popular as the months go by. Nevertheless, extremists in the General Assembly continue to call for unacceptable gun control measures designed to hobble the free exercise of our Second Amendment rights.”

“Since 1990, law-abiding gun owners have come to Springfield each spring to advise their Senators and Representatives to stay true to the Constitution and to turn back pointless efforts at gun control, continued Pearson. “That is why gun owners are coming to Springfield on April 6^th and that’s why they’ll be back next spring and many springs after that. The General Assembly needs to come to grips with the fact that gun ownership is here to stay and that we’re here to protect that right no matter how long it takes.”

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The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding firearm owners.

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Why do School Boards spend like it's not costing anything/ Lincoln-way Taxpayers wake up

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willco2

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April 1, 2016

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Lincoln-Way taxpayers paid $368,000 into annuity account for ex-superintendent

Gregory PrattContact Reporter

Taxpayers in Lincoln-Way High School District 210 paid $368,148 into an annuity account for ex-Superintendent Lawrence Wyllie, newly released records and interviews show.
The annuity is a second publicly funded retirement benefit for Wyllie, who is currently collecting a $312,000 pension — the largest in the state’s teachers fund. The school board voted on April 7, 2004, to approve Wyllie’s annuity, as part of a broader vote on 2004-05 administration and support staff salaries, Vice President Christine Glatz said. The April 7, 2004, meeting minutes do not mention the annuity.
The district first bought the annuity in June 2004 and the agent on the policy was Wyllie’s son, Christopher Wyllie, account statements released by the district and interviews show.
When Wyllie retired in the summer of 2013, Lincoln-Way High School District 210 transferred ownership of the annuity to him, records show. A March 2013 policy statement released by the district shows the annuity was worth $515,685 at the time.

To some, Wyllie’s annuity represents a broader trend of questionable spending by district officials that has drained Lincoln-Way’s finances. The district landed on the state’s financial watch list in 2015 after years of deficit spending, where the district remains.
Told of the annuity account by the Daily Southtown, government experts and school district residents criticized the expense. Sarah Brune, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, called Wyllie’s retirement package “exorbitant.”
“It seems inappropriate for the taxpayers to be paying into two separate (retirement) accounts for one public figure,” Brune said.
Steve Eberhardt, an attorney who represents Lincoln-Way Area Taxpayers Unite in a lawsuit aimed at preventing the cash-strapped district from shuttering Lincoln-Way North high school, questioned the annuity’s purpose and said it’s wasteful.
“What’s the justification for giving him this extra third of a million (tax) dollars?” Eberhardt said.
Asked about criticism of the annuity, Glatz released a statement.
“The annuity awarded to (Wyllie) by the Board of Education was based on performance and retention during a time of transition within the District,” Glatz said. “The additional compensation did not add to his base salary nor his pensionable earnings.”
Lawrence Wyllie, who led the district from 1989 to 2013, did not return messages seeking comment. Christopher Wyllie, who works for AXA Advisors as a vice president according to the company’s website, declined to discuss what he called “private information.”
A spokesman for AXA later said Christopher Wyllie “was not involved in any way in the financial negotiations between his father and the school district.”

In recent months, the Daily Southtown has reported extensively on questionable financial practices, private uses of public resources and questionable deals benefiting insiders at the district.
Months before retiring, Wyllie signed a no-bid 10-year contract extension with Frankfort-based Aunt Nancy’s day care, which uses spaces at each of the district’s four schools rent-free.
The school board never formally approved the deal, Superintendent Scott Tingley previously said.
Lincoln-Way also bought at least $90,000 worth of playground equipment for Aunt Nancy’s, drawing criticism from government experts and parents who said the district should not subsidize a private business.
Oak Lawn-based Community High School District 218 has a similar deal with a private day care provider at one of its buildings but unlike Lincoln-Way charges its contractor $76,250 a year in “cost-recovery” fees.
In 2007, Lincoln-Way bought $5 million worth of farmland in Manhattan Township, apparently without an appraisal, in a deal that benefited the Lincoln-Way Foundation president’s firm.
Lincoln-Way’s former grounds director, Paul Gonzalez, in 2013 ordered “a few school district employees” to do private work in Wyllie’s Frankfort subdivision, records show.

He also ordered an employee to create a memorial plaque for Wyllie’s father, records show.
In 2010 and 2011, Wyllie spent nearly $45,000 in public funds to build Superdog, a dog training school that Tingley said had “no student benefit.” That school is run by a trainer who has worked with Wyllie and his dogs.
From 2013 to 2015, a time when the district’s financial situation was rapidly deteriorating, the district paid out $272,000 in retirement bonuses for 18 employees, including $16,000 for Wyllie, records show.
The district has also paid $199,113 in penalties to the state pension system.
During his last three years as superintendent, while the district’s finances tumbled, records show Wyllie also used his district-issued credit card to pay for meals, dog training books, hundreds of leadership texts, dozens of sweaters and a $106 teddy bear for his office.
More recently, Lincoln-Way emailed parents last month to say it is issuing refunds to driver’s ed students who were improperly charged $350 for classes, a mistake the district estimated would cost about $400,000.
The district was given more than a year’s notice that it had to renew its permission from the state to charge $350 but the district won’t explain how it failed to get state approval to charge $350.
Days after news of the $400,000 mistake broke, the board accepted Assistant Superintendent for Business Ron Sawin’s early retirement and released a copy of his retirement agreement, showing there is “currently a dispute” between Lincoln-Way and Sawin over his job performance.
Wyllie’s annuity is particularly controversial because he is already collecting a $312,000 pension from the state. That figure has drawn criticism not only because of its size but because it was derived using an obscure, now-abolished actuarial calculation that boosted Wyllie’s payout higher than any salary he’d ever received from the district.
Brian Murray, a Frankfort resident, said he was upset by the annuity approval process, which he said wasn’t transparent. Murray also said that the annuity is excessive because the school district already knew Wyllie had a taxpayer-funded pension coming.
“It seems wrong to me,” Murray said.
gpratt@tribpub.com

Message from the Inninois State Rifle Association

By

willco2

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April 1, 2016

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On Monday, March 21, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the Second Amendment applies to all instruments that constitute bearable arms. The decision of the court was unanimous. The case, known as Caetano v Massachusetts, dealt with a Massachusetts law that prohibited stun guns. The law was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Court, but was overturned by the United States Supreme Court. In the decision ordering the law to be vacated, the court stated that the Second Amendment applied to arms that were not in existence at the time of the founding. In short, that means that the AR15 and a variety of other arms are now protected. Before we all begin dancing in the streets, remember we will be forced to slog through the courts, case by case. Remember that the next President will replace as many as four or five Supreme Court Justices, so that may change.

Talk about a long reach! Congratulations to David Sigale, who represents the ISRA and Second Amendment Foundation in several cases, for winning a case in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). CNMI is part of the United States that many people do not even know about. Saipan is part of the island group that was acquired during the island hopping campaign against the Japanese, during WWII. CNMI passed a law that made it Illegal to own a handgun or import ammunition, rendering people unable to defend themselves. In 2008, David Radich, a U.S. Navy Veteran, and his wife, Li-Rong moved to Saipan. In 2010, Li-Rong was home alone when invaders broke in and savagely beat her. Because of the CNMI law, they were defenseless against such attacks. Radich and the Second Amendment Foundation filed suit against the CNMI law and won. Judge Ramona V. Manglona struck down the law as unconstitutional – another nail in the coffin of the anti-gun movement. Thank you David Sigale.

I have a few points on the IGOLD front. As you know, IGOLD is Wednesday April 6^th. We have just confirmed our last two guest speakers. They are Chip Eberhart, from Chicago, who does one of the NRA’s “I am the NRA and I am Freedoms safest place” ads and another is an old friend of mine, the famous self-defense instructor, Mr. Massad Ayoob. I couldn’t be more pleased. We have a couple of the great ones for you to hear and meet. The final point is that the cut-off for making bus reservations is noon on Monday April 4. I would “Git-R-Done!” The ISRA office will open on Saturday, April 2, 2016, from 8:00am – 12 noon so you can call in your IGOLD bus reservations. See you at IGOLD!

By

willco2

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April 1, 2016

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Tony’s initiation happened when he was 12.
Growing up on Chicago’s South Side near 69th Street and Dante Avenue, gangs such as the Black P. Stone Nation and the Gangster Disciples started recruiting children as early as fifth grade.
The gang initiation marked Tony’s fist experience with drug and alcohol abuse – the beginning of a 16-year battle with addiction.
Despite those circumstances, Tony was the president of his grammar school and high school, where he flourished in math and architectural drafting classes. After graduating he went on to receive a certificate in accounting and began his career in the corporate world. But his addiction remained.
To feed that addiction, Tony committed a felony, and completed a 30-month probation in 1990.
“When I was addicted I was a completely different person,” Tony said. “I made mistakes as a young person coming up. There’s no question about that.”
But now, 26 years after paying his debt to society – not to mention nearly three decades of sobriety – Tony’s record still haunts him. A married father of two college-aged children, he’s been stonewalled from gainful employment by a broken system.
The fight
In August 2013, decades into Tony’s career in insurance and professional billing, he took steps to better himself by applying for an insurance broker’s license.
After being affected by downsizing at his previous employer, the Safer Foundation helped Tony land a new job with a health insurance company in Chicago. He needed the license for his new role.
Tony worked for three months before he got some bad news.
“When I got the letter from the [licensing] board, all I could do was cry,” he said. The state rejected his application for a professional license because of his past offense.
For years, Tony had been trying to clear his name.
A judge sealed his record, he received a certificate of good conduct and he was recommended to have his record expunged by a former lieutenant governor, an Illinois congressman, an Illinois state representative and a judge.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich denied his application twice. Gov. Pat Quinn denied him once.
Most people would think those steps, along with Tony’s success in raising his family, would be enough to prove his worthiness of a license. And the insurance board agreed. But the state insurance commissioner rejected the board’s recommendation.
Ever since his rejection, Tony has struggled to find consistent work.
“I built a life for myself and my family,” he said, “but it’s all been taken away.”
The facts
In Illinois, nearly half of offenders released from prison each year will have returned three years later.
Research shows one major reason why so many former offenders return to crime is lack of work. But while one of the most salient predictors of re-offending is whether ex-offenders can find a decent job, their prospects of doing so are weak.
Survey data suggest as many as 60 to 75 percent of former offenders are unemployed a year after their release.
Since February 2012, Tony has sent hundreds of job applications and sat for dozens of interviews.
“One interviewer told me I knew more about his company than he did,” Tony said. He still didn’t land the job.
While Tony succeeded in creating a long, well-paying career, he, like thousands of others, is now facing barriers to self-sufficiency years after serving his sentence.
The effects of a broken criminal-justice system – namely, the same individuals cycling in and out of jail ad nauseam – come with enormous fiscal and social costs.
Each time an ex-offender ends up back behind bars, it costs the state an average of more than $118,000 — a cost borne by taxpayers, the victim of the crime and the state economy as a whole, according to a report by the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, or SPAC.
Assuming Illinois’ recidivism rate stays the same, taxpayers themselves will pay approximately $5.7 billion for recidivism costs over the next five years.
Recidivism is also a major public safety concern. Illinoisans who re-offend commit a majority of crimes in the state, according to SPAC.
The hidden victims of this crisis are children, nearly 70,000 of whom currently have a parent in an Illinois prison. This means there are likely hundreds of thousands of children in Illinois whose parents live with a felony record. These children are more likely to drop out of school, experience substance-abuse problems and engage in criminal behavior as adults.
If there is a silver lining of these high costs, it’s that sensible changes can produce better outcomes for ex-offenders who want to become productive members of society, while saving taxpayers millions.
If the recidivism rate fell by 5 percent, taxpayer savings would total nearly $187 million over nine years, along with $93 million in avoided economic losses and $262 million in victimization costs not incurred.

The action
Illinois politicians have a wealth of options when it comes to improving the state’s criminal-justice system, especially when looking at offenders’ lives after release.
Important re-entry reforms currently before the General Assembly include:

Sealing expansion (House Bill 6328): Allow most nonviolent offenders the chance to apply to have their criminal records sealed as soon as they successfully complete their prison sentences or parole, if applicable.
Business-liability reform (House Bill 5533): Protect businesses from lawsuits based solely on hiring an employee with a criminal record.
Occupational-licensing reform (House Bill 5973): Remove legal barriers that prevent former offenders from working in most licensed occupations.

The fiscal and societal costs of unemployment and underemployment among ex-offenders are staggering. Tools to address those costs are available. It’s time to act.
“You would think that I would qualify to have a second chance somewhere, from somebody, for something,” Tony said.
“For whatever reason it’s just fallen on a deaf ears.”

Austin Berg
Writer

What Corey Lewandowski's Arrest Says about Trump's Leadership

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willco2

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March 31, 2016

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What Corey Lewandowski’s Arrest Says about Trump’s Leadership

“This speaks to leadership. Leaders set the standards for their organizations and then they hold their organizations accountable to those standards.”
Kathleen Murphy of the Illinois Opportunity Project appeared on FOX Chicago yesterday morning to discuss the battery charges against Donald Trump’s campaign manager. Watch the interview here http://www.upstream-ideas.com/ideas/kathleen-murphy-on/

TOP 25 LARGEST SURPLUS- AND DEFICIT-SPENDING ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN 2016

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willco2

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March 31, 2016

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TOP 25 LARGEST SURPLUS- AND DEFICIT-SPENDING ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN 2016

KEVIN HOFFMAN

REBOOT STAFF

MAR 24, 2016 150650 2

Nearly 60 percent of Illinois school districts are expected to be deficit spending during fiscal year 2016, according to new data from the Illinois State Board of Education.
In FY15, school districts issued $307.2 million in new debt in their operating funds, a decrease of $49.3 million from $356.5 million in FY14. While that’s almost a 14 percent drop over the year, the board of education says the majority of districts continue to rely on borrowing to generate cash flow.

Based on revenue and expenditure projections submitted by school districts for their FY16 budgets, the number of districts operating with deficits will increase slightly to 499 (58.6 percent) from 490 (57.2 percent) in FY15, according to the board’s recently released School District Financial Profile Scores report. Deficit spending is calculated by analyzing a district’s four main operational funds: educational, operation and maintenance, student transportation and working cash.

Following are the 25 largest surplus- and deficit-spending school districts in FY16. The number of schools and students enrolled in each district as well as the operating expense per pupil (OEPP) are from Illinois Report Card. Cash reserves figures are from districts’ 2015 annual financial reports and show the total amount in unreserved funds as of June 30, 2015.

Largest deficit-spending Illinois school districts.

Top 25 districts with largest projected surplus spending in FY16

25. Joliet PSD 86

Projected surplus spending: $2.07 million
Schools: 19
Enrollment: 11,781
OEPP: $10,254
Cash reserves: $55.05 million

24. Skokie SD 69

Projected surplus spending: $2.10 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 1,780
OEPP: $11,763
Cash reserves: $32.71 million

23. Barrington CUSD 220

Projected surplus spending: $2.10 million
Schools: 11
Enrollment: 8,910
OEPP: $16,178
Cash reserves: $48.17 million

22. Evergreen Park CHSD 231

Projected surplus spending: $2.51 million
Schools: 1
Enrollment: 856
OEPP: $17,063
Cash reserves: $17.08 million

21. Belleville Twp HSD 201

Projected surplus spending: $2.55 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 4,827
OEPP: $11,574
Cash reserves: $2.34 million

20. CHSD 99 | Downers Grove

Projected surplus spending: $2.64 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 5,015
OEPP: $16,314
Cash reserves: $2.15 million

19. Glenbard Twp HSD 87 | Glen Ellyn

Projected surplus spending: $2.78 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 8,288
OEPP: $15,414
Cash reserves: $87.61 million

18. Bluford Unit School District 318

Projected surplus spending: $2.79 million
Schools: n/a
Enrollment: n/a
OEPP: n/a
Cash reserves: n/a

17. East St. Louis SD 189

Projected surplus spending: $2.80 million
Schools: 10
Enrollment: 6,116
OEPP: $13,198
Cash reserves: $36.13 million

16. New Lenox SD 122

Projected surplus spending: $2.91 million
Schools: 11
Enrollment: 5,357
OEPP: $10,257
Cash reserves: $27.13 million

15. Glen Ellyn SD 41

Projected surplus spending: $2.94 million
Schools: 5
Enrollment: 3,451
OEPP: $12,929
Cash reserves: $13.05 million

14. Crystal Lake CCSD 47

Projected surplus spending: $3.12 million
Schools: 12
Enrollment: 7,765
OEPP: $10,267
Cash reserves: $43.54 million

13. Reed Custer CUSD 255U | Braidwood

Projected surplus spending: $3.19 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 1,631
OEPP: $13,262
Cash reserves: $20.65 million

12. Park Ridge CCSD 64

Projected surplus spending: $3.25 million
Schools: 8
Enrollment: 4,555
OEPP: $15,152
Cash reserves: $56.89 million

11. Channahon SD 17

Projected surplus spending: $3.35 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 1,285
OEPP: $9,910
Cash reserves: $34.58 million

10. Valley View CUSD 365U | Romeoville

Projected surplus spending: $3.35 million
Schools: 19
Enrollment: 17,318
OEPP: $12,028
Cash reserves: $70.96 million

9. Plainfield SD 202

Projected surplus spending: $3.41 million
Schools: 28
Enrollment: 28,116
OEPP: $9,344
Cash reserves: $72.90 million

8. Adlai E. Stevenson HSD 125 | Lincolnshire

Projected surplus spending: $3.60 million
Schools: 1
Enrollment: 3,906
OEPP: $18,778
Cash reserves: $123.96 million

7. Twp HSD 113 | Highland Park

Projected surplus spending: $4.05 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 3,683
OEPP: $24,848
Cash reserves: $100.20 million

6. Oswego CUSD 308

Projected surplus spending: $4.57 million
Schools: 21
Enrollment: 17,911
OEPP: $9,192
Cash reserves: $53.98 million

5. Naperville CUSD 203

Projected surplus spending: $5.20 million
Schools: 21
Enrollment: 16,917
OEPP: $14,175
Cash reserves: $154.82 million

4. Urbana SD 116

Projected surplus spending: $6.04 million
Schools: 8
Enrollment: 4,418
OEPP: $13,512
Cash reserves: $18.35 million

3. Township HSD 214 | Arlington Heights

Projected surplus spending: $7.86 million
Schools: 6
Enrollment: 11,974
OEPP: $19,734
Cash reserves: $159.34 million

2. CUSD 300 | Algonquin

Projected surplus spending: $10.23 million
Schools: 25
Enrollment: 20,862
OEPP: $10,128
Cash reserves: $90.35 million

1. Niles Twp CHSD 219 | Skokie

Projected surplus spending: $10.43 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 4,752
OEPP: $22,340
Cash reserves: $183.68 million

Top 25 districts with largest projected deficit spending in FY16

25. Kankakee SD 111

Projected deficit spending: $3.52 million
Schools: 11
Enrollment: 5,470
OEPP: $12,200
Cash reserves: $11.48 million

24. Bloom Twp HSD 206 | Chicago Heights

Projected deficit spending: $3.54 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 3,245
OEPP: $15,200
Cash reserves: $17.42 million

23. Peotone CUSD 207U

Projected deficit spending: $3.65 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 1,606
OEPP: $10,929
Cash reserves: $9.27 million

22. Lincolnwood SD 74

Projected deficit spending: $3.70 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 1,240
OEPP: $16,651
Cash reserves: $26.81 million

21. Chicago Heights SD 170

Projected deficit spending: $3.75 million
Schools: 9
Enrollment: 3,323
OEPP: $13,361
Cash reserves: $23.41 million

20. Hawthorn CCSD 73 | Vernon Hills

Projected deficit spending: $3.84 million
Schools: 7
Enrollment: 4,083
OEPP: $13,157
Cash reserves: $41.64 million

19. Edwardsville CUSD 7

Projected deficit spending: $3.88 million
Schools: 13
Enrollment: 7,551
OEPP: $9,064
Cash reserves: $1.30 million

18. Leyden CHSD 212 | Franklin Park

Projected deficit spending: $3.89 million
Schools: 2
Enrollment: 3,423
OEPP: $18,339
Cash reserves: $102.47 million

17. Galesburg CUSD 205

Projected deficit spending: $3.96 million
Schools: 8
Enrollment: 4,573
OEPP: $8,621
Cash reserves: $16.87 million

16. Reavis Twp HSD 220 | Burbank

Projected deficit spending: $4.22 million
Schools: 1
Enrollment: 1,866
OEPP: $16,542
Cash reserves: $11.76 million

15. Comm Cons SD 59 | Arlington Heights

Projected deficit spending: $4.42 million
Schools: 14
Enrollment: 7,010
OEPP: $15,036
Cash reserves: $134.05 million

14. Bremen CHSD 228 | Midlothian

Projected deficit spending: $4.66 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 5,196
OEPP: $14,622
Cash reserves: $58.59 million

13. Calumet City SD 155

Projected deficit spending: $4.66 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 1,219
OEPP: $14,062
Cash reserves: $9.20 million

12. CHSD 218 | Oak Lawn

Projected deficit spending: $5.12 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 5,508
OEPP: $18,008
Cash reserves: $75.78 million

11. Lincoln Way CHSD 210 | New Lenox

Projected deficit spending: $5.24 million
Schools: 4
Enrollment: 7,126
OEPP: $13,225
Cash reserves: $540,868

10. Oak Park ESD 97

Projected deficit spending: $5.57 million
Schools: 10
Enrollment: 5,950
OEPP: $12,963
Cash reserves: $29.87 million

9. Oak Park-River Forest SD 200

Projected deficit spending: $6.51 million
Schools: 1
Enrollment: 3,294
OEPP: $20,838
Cash reserves: $98.62 million

8. Morton CUSD 709

Projected deficit spending: $6.62 million
Schools: 6
Enrollment: 2,911
OEPP: $9,881
Cash reserves: $31.25 million

7. Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96

Projected deficit spending: $7.01 million
Schools: 7
Enrollment: 3,140
OEPP: $14,176
Cash reserves: $94.11 million

6. Peoria SD 150

Projected deficit spending: $7.81 million
Schools: 24
Enrollment: 13,675
OEPP: $13,662
Cash reserves: $47.26 million

5. Thornton Twp HSD 205 | South Holland

Projected deficit spending: $8.19 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 5,079
OEPP: $19,584
Cash reserves: $38.72 million

4. Cicero SD 99

Projected deficit spending: $9.31 million
Schools: 15
Enrollment: 12,857
OEPP: $9,506
Cash reserves: $179.61 million

3. Maine Township HSD 207 | Park Ridge

Projected deficit spending: $11.67 million
Schools: 3
Enrollment: 6,307
OEPP: $18,722
Cash reserves: $62.72 million

2. SD U-46 | Elgin

Projected deficit spending: $18.33 million
Schools: 54
Enrollment: 40,400
OEPP: $10,672
Cash reserves: $191.60 million

1. City of Chicago SD 299

Projected deficit spending: $69.70 million
Schools: 565
Enrollment: 397,833
OEPP: $15,120
Cash reserves: $180.27 million

Illinois inn fined for refusing to host gay civil union ceremony

By

willco2

-

March 31, 2016

0

Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:36pm EDT

Illinois inn fined for refusing to host gay civil union ceremony

An Illinois inn that refused to allow a same-sex couple hold their civil union ceremony on the property was fined more than $80,000 by the Illinois Human Rights Commission on Tuesday.
An administrative law judge with the commission ordered TimberCreek Bed & Breakfast to pay $15,000 each to Todd and Mark Wathen for emotional distress.
The Wathens had contacted TimberCreek in 2011 as they looked for possible locations for the ceremony.
TimberCreek owner Jim Walder had responded to the Wathens’ inquiry with an email that said “homosexuality is immoral and unnatural,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.
TimberCreek, located about 100 miles south of Chicago, must also pay $50,000 in attorneys’ fees and $1,218.35 in costs.
“We are very happy that no other couple will have to experience what we experienced by being turned away and belittled and criticized for who we are,” Todd Wathen said in a statement.
A representative from TimberCreek was not immediately available to comment.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in June 2015.

Get some exercise while raising money for Hadley, Homer students

Uncategorized

By

willco2

-

March 31, 2016

0

News Release
Homer CCSD 33C
Goodings Grove Luther J. Schilling William E. Young William J. Butler
Hadley Middle Homer Jr. High

Contact: Charla Brautigam, Communications/Public Relations Manager
cbrautigam@homerschools.org | 708-226-7628

For Immediate Release:
March 31, 2016

Get some exercise while raising money for Hadley, Homer students

Lace up those running shoes. The Homer Middle School/Hadley Junior High School Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) are sponsoring a Mustang Color Run in Lockport.

The 5K Color Run/Walk will be held Sunday, April 24 at Dellwood Park. The event is open to the community.

“We want this to be a fun, family event for the entire community,” said PTO volunteer Angela Adolf.

Registration is $30 per participant with proceeds benefitting students at Homer Junior High and Hadley Middle School in the form of classroom supplies, assemblies, technology needs and school improvements.

The goal is to raise $20,000.

Students are currently circulating pledge sheets while parents are soliciting donations and sponsorships from community businesses.

Mayor George Yukich has agreed to serve as the master of ceremonies while the Homer Junior High will sing the National Anthem.

Participants may either join the 5K Mustang Color Run at 9:30 a.m. or the shorter 2K Mustang Buddies Color Run at 9 a.m.

To register online, visit the PTO’s webpage here (http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ecd0bs3dd99f0e61&llr=fuofyzwab) or call 708-296-0857 for more information. Discounts are available for teams of four or more.

Those who preregister will receive a goodie bag with an event T-shirt, color packet (to coat themselves in colorful powder) and sunglasses.

Runners/walkers may also register the day of the event for $35 per participant. They will not be guaranteed a goodie bag, however.

Young School Homer 33C students make contact with garden pals in Uganda

Uncategorized

By

willco2

-

March 31, 2016

0

News Release
Homer CCSD 33C
Goodings Grove Luther J. Schilling William E. Young William J. Butler
Hadley Middle Homer Jr. High

Contact: Charla Brautigam, Communications/Public Relations Manager
cbrautigam@homerschools.org | 708-226-7628

For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2016

Young School students make contact with garden pals in Uganda

Students in Karen Kraynak’s fourth-grade class and Lisa Estes’ third-grade class are anxious to hear back from their new friends in Uganda.

The students, who were selected to participate in a Global Garden Exchange program with students in Uganda, recently sent their first note off to their “sister school.”

“A BIG hello to our sister school, St. Peter’s Mateete Primary School in Mateete, Uganda,” students wrote. “We are so very happy to have the opportunity to share our love of gardening with you across the world in Africa.”

Students plan to share gardening ideas and techniques with their new friends in Uganda. They will be using their measurement, problem-solving and research skills to grow fruits and vegetables from seed and share their progress with fourth- and fifth-grade students at St. Peter’s Mateete Primary School.

“We are 56 students from William E. Young Elementary School in Homer Glen, IL USA,” students told their new garden pals. “Our nearest big city is Chicago, IL, which you may locate on a map. Mrs. Estes’s third graders and Mrs. Kraynak’s fourth graders are working on this project together.

“Next week, we will begin planting seeds indoors in small peat pots,” they continued. “We are nearing the end of our winter, but we are nowhere near to planting outside. We could still see temperatures below freezing levels. We want to give our plants a head start by planting them indoors and transplanting them out in our garden at the end of April. We have a very short growing season, May-October, so we hope to get as much as we can from our garden at Young School. How long is your growing season?”

Young School students were paired with the school in Mateete by Slow Food USA, a global, grassroots organization that practices small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.

The goal is to reconnect youth with their food by teaching them how to grow, cook and enjoy real food.

Students will be emailing each other, sharing information about their growing seasons and photos of their gardens.

“We will grow tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, radishes, strawberries, and some flowers that will keep pests away from our garden,” students told their new friends in Mateete. “We are wondering what crops you plan on growing this year?”

They concluded: “We can’t wait to hear back from you!”

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Illinois inn fined for refusing to host gay civil union ceremony

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