As clearly highlighted in the article, BB taxpayers are funding multi-million dollar pension plans for retired VVSD educators. Are you as outraged as we are?
Do you find the sudden salary spikes right before retirement suspicious?
The $500k plus in salary spikes c/h/b used on more important areas of the budget. What do you think of the "list of savings" highlighted by Cedra Crenshaw?
How can the school board approve such agreements?
Share your comments.
I am not surprised. Patricia Claar (Mayor's wife), Dr. Schofstall (retired Superintendent), and Pat Schanks (Village Trustee) are all raking in BIG BUCKS. Mostly funded with taxpayer dollars.
ReplyDeleteThey are not worried because most of the voters in Bolingbrook are sleep walking anyways.
I wish I could get my hands on some of that money. But Claar's got it all on lockdown. You have to be part of his regime to cash in.
Don't forget the close relationship Claar has with the head of the teachers union. Sweet Deal!
I'm sure you've heard the phrase "don't hate the player, hate the game." The government pension system is rigged. If you want to make good money, and retire early with a comfortable pension, work for the government. It's easy money.
ReplyDeleteIt's much tougher in the private sector.
Why do some people always ASSUME that Roger Claar is to blame?
ReplyDeleteWhat is his connection to Paula Bowling? She's getting a pension of $8,905.84 a month. Or Judy Draper? She's getting a pension of $7,013.13 a month. How about Anitra Mcglothin? She's getting $8,712.35 a month. Or Chris Israelson? He's getting $10,416.39 a month. We've got Hillyn Sennholtz getting $8,277.47 a month.
How much is Pat Schanks getting? I didn't find her name listed in any of the categories on the link.
Why aren't people outraged at the ginormous salaries and/or retirement benefits the CEO's of big corporations or Wall Street fat cats receive? The people you mention in the above posts and others have all worked many years and contributed to their pension system-they deserve the money they are getting in retirement.
ReplyDeleteStop going after the people who have actually worked for a living-the people who have educated your children, kept you safe from criminals, put out your fires or saved lives and start putting the blame where it belongs. Try going after Wall Street,Big Business and their Multi-millionaire and billionare CEO's and the politicians who have allowed our country to become bankrupt. Too bad the Tea party has been hijacked and financed by the Koch Brothers and other right wing hacks who hate America.
Felix Greco
I also wonder why everything is Mayor Claar's fault, according to people who post on here and the other site.
ReplyDeleteGood morning All,
ReplyDeleteCedra Crenshaw's article address the issue of whether or not there's really a lack of funding in public education, considering the bloated pension funds in which taxpayers are paying the majority.
Mayor Claar has nothing to do with bloated pensions.
Lets give this topic some serious consideration, and debate the specific issue, and not blur the point by blaming everything on Claar.
This is a great topic to debate.
Lets go!
Thanks for taking a stand, Rhonda. You are very smart and fair.
ReplyDeleteCedra, great article.
Claar's doing more than enough dirt, we certainly don't need to blame him for everything. Get real. The man is not a Saint. There's no need to blame him for everything, just blame him for most things.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, what's up with Felix Greco? During the election, he met with Claar for 1 hour, and decided not to run for trustee.
What happened Felix? Did Claar promise you something? Or were you ass kissing. Assuring Honorable Claar that you are loyal?
You are a fence straddling, union loving coward.
We see through you.
Hey Felix, crawl back in your hole. As a firefighter, don't you get paid by taxpayers? You are also part of a union?
ReplyDeleteFirst you are protesting Claar's layoff of firefighters, then you turn around and kiss his ass a few months later.
Like Mr. Truth state, you are a fence straddling, union loving coward. Who's only goal is to collect a salary from taxpayers, and retire early.
Shut your trap, and keep collecting welfare from taxpayers.
ouch
ReplyDeleteAttention Claar Lovers,
ReplyDeleteIf you want a watered down, glossed over coverage of Bolingbrook, I suggest you visit BB Patch or Bugle. They will cover the local chili cookouts, and basketball games. Claar and his people actually approve the articles before it's published.
Whereas, The Number Crunchers will publish the hardcore facts. No matter who's in office.
I prefer the news, as it is. Uncensored.
This is not an anti-Claar campaign, it's more of an anti-dysfunctional government campaign.
Keep up the good work!
What do Felix Greco and Roger Claar have to do this this topic?
ReplyDeleteIt sure seems like the Claar haters have to bring him into every discussion.
Try R.E.A.D.I.N.G. Anonymous, 2:03pm. Felix Greco's comment was made at 10:03am.
ReplyDeleteGot to agree with you re. Claar hater. I'm not a fan of his.
so you get 1 pt. but you need help with reading.
FYI----There wasn't a post made by anyone at 10:03am.
ReplyDeletenot 10:03am, 10:37am.
ReplyDeleteI Love The Number Crunchers!
Anonymous @ Friday, September 30, 2011 2:09:00 PM
ReplyDeleteWho is it that needs help R.E.A.D.I.N.G. ?
Looks like it's you!
Have a great day!
“The people you mention in the above posts and others have all worked many years and contributed to their pension system-they deserve the money they are getting in retirement.”
ReplyDeleteFelix, EVERYBODY works many years and contributes to their retirement. But MOST people are not eligible for a taxpayer funded pension, because MOST people work in the private sector. So private sector retirees who would be eligible for no more than the maximum social security payout of $28,392/year (and any retirement they set aside on their own), are subsidizing the bloated pensions of public sector union workers. Where is the fairness in that?
Any private sector business that allowed employees to contribute less than 24 month’s worth of payouts to their pension system while simultaneously spiking salaries would be out of business and in trouble with the law for jeopardizing the retirement security of future retirees. It would be simply unsustainable, and that’s why most private companies offer 401k plans instead.
CEO’s and others in the private sector are not feeding at the public trough like the public sector unions. I will go after ANYONE who takes resources away from students in the classroom in order to subsidize bloated pensions and other insane spending in the public education bureaucracy, and then makes the claim that there isn’t enough funding in education. That includes politicians, Republican and Democrat, as well as public sector unions.
Too bad our public education system has been hijacked by public sector unions who have simultaneously bankrupted Illinois and debased the public education system.
Very well stated, Cedra. You've summed it up perfectly.
ReplyDeleteGreat article.
Cedra,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to single out teachers. Do you feel the same for other professions like police, fire, nurses...that receive a government pension?
“Cedra,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to single out teachers. Do you feel the same for other professions like police, fire, nurses...that receive a government pension?”
Anonymous,
www.openthebooks.com has data for all Illinois public sector salary and pension spending and anyone who chooses to investigate other areas besides education can do so.
I choose to focus on education for several reasons:
1. The future of our country depends on it. Test after test confirms that American public school students are not competitive with their global counterparts. This will have a devastating future effect on our competitiveness as a country. As capital flows to other countries there will be less of it here in the USA. That means fewer startup companies, less innovation, fewer jobs and ultimately less prosperity.
2. Many people agree with me (including teachers and administrators) but do not speak up because of teacher union intimidation. Many are well aware that the education of students and pensions of future retirees are being jeopardized by out of control teacher union leadership and politically bankrupt school boards.
3. Pension spiking is a financially destructive practice that would put any private sector business out of business as well as in trouble with the law for jeopardizing the pensions of future retirees.
4. Pension spiking ignores the laws of basic math. The numbers don’t lie. This is real money that is being siphoned out of the classroom and bankrupting the pension system.
5. Illinois has a pension crisis. Over $80 billion in unfunded liabilities (this does not count health care benefits) with educators making up a substantial share. Illinois has the worst funded pension system in the nation.
6. Public schools eat up 70% of your property tax bill. Where is the money going?
7. When the rest of the economy is taking a nosedive, education costs are still rising. Every year we are told there isn’t enough money. Services and programs get cut. Teachers and aides get laid off. Where is the money going? A substantial portion of that money is padding pensions.
8. Many people (even teachers and administrators) simply don’t know just how out of control education spending is because too many have succumbed to political correctness when it comes to education spending. Instead of examining education spending just like any other enterprise public or private, too many ignore it because they don’t want to be labeled as hating teachers.
9. My children attend Valley View public schools. I know we can and must do better.
Everyone should know that Cedra's husband is one of those that have seen close to a 50% increase in his salary as a public school employee. www.openthebooks.com shows that his salary for the 2009-2010 school year was $118,722.00
ReplyDeleteWould you consider 40% over 4 years to be a salary bump?
ReplyDeleteCheck out the Bolingbrook Patch. There's a great discussion about this going on.
ReplyDelete"Everyone should know that Cedra's husband is one of those that have seen close to a 50% increase in his salary as a public school employee. www.openthebooks.com shows that his salary for the 2009-2010 school year was $118,722.00"
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,you wouldn't happen to be the same commentor on the Bolingbrook Patch who said that no one was reading the Number Cruncher's, are you? If no one's reading the Number Cruncher's, why are you wasting your time telling "no one" to go to the Patch?
Apparently, you are reading the Number Crunchers just like lots of other people.
Ouch. Good point.
ReplyDeleteReminds me about Rhonda saying that she was done with the Patch and the readers but lately goes there posting about her blog trying to get readers to come here.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe Rhonda's smart enough to realize there's a variety of media outlets in Bolingbrook.
ReplyDeleteShe's got a great message, why not spread the word, far and wide.
We don't see Brian Feldt or the BB Patch refusing her access. That's because they understand it's all a numbers game as well.
Anonymous, 12:34pm, don't fool yourself into thinking no one's reading The Number Crunchers.
I am one of their biggest supporters.
I believe a lot of our taxpayer monies are wasted by high Administrative costs, huge salaries for certain staff and administrators, and general food costs that kids won't eat.
ReplyDeleteWe the taxpayers pay for all kinds of wastetful spending in the school district. Our taxes could be so much lower if his waste were cut and Administrators used more common sense to cut waste and extremely high pensions and salaries.