Finally, as the salary goes up, the District's contribution to the pension should drop. Example: If the salary is $50K/yr, we make 100% of the teacher's pension contribution (9%). As their salary goes up, our contribution should go down until it reaches zero percent (0%) at which point the employee would be funding their own pension...

Mark, those are just Dave's generic talking points regarding education finance. He doesn't let facts get in the way of a good story.

Dave, I encourage you to educate yourself with the actuals issues of the district. This is your home district so there is no excuse for not knowing the facts. These people are fighting for their professional livelihood. Don't disrespect them by spouting generic talking points. Get to know them and their issues before you form your opinions.

I fully understand that teachers don't participate in Soc. Sec. and they're in TRS instead. What I've recommended may be contrary to State Law as it's written now, but certainly as the entire State struggles to figure out a way to move forward from this pension mess, the State Law could be changed.

Same with sick days. If more people knew just what numbers of sick days were being accumulated, they'd probably get sick themselves.

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter to me whether the classes qualify them for lane movement, or they're just 'keeping up with advances'. If someone wants to take a class to remain 'sharp', they can certainly do so at their own expense. They're claiming to be professionals, so let them fund their own continuing education as necessary.

There's only so much one can detail in these limited comment boxes, if someone feels disrespected as a result, that's certainly unfortunate on their part, but honestly - the TAXPAYERS are feeling pretty disrespected with the way things are right now, and it has to change.

As for knowing the actual issues of the District - yes John, I do know them. And I even served on a committee made up of community members to review and explore financial aspects of the District....

Great. Then I look forward to you articluating them.

8.1 Professional Growth:(A) (1) 6 out of any 15 sem. hr credits earned and applied to movement on the salary schedule may be earned through inservice courses approved in advance by the Superintendent.

(2) All graduate credits, CPDUs, or CEUs earned through accredited colleges or universities, or through district approved inservice programs or workshops may, at the teacher's choice, either be applied to advancement on the existing salary schedule or reimbursed through a one-time payment of $300/sem. hr (or cost if lower) with a max of $1200/year available to EACH employee in a single year (July 1 thru June 30). All courses a minimum of 3 sem hrs, unless otherwise approved.

(3) A sem hr of credit for inservice programs shall be defined as 15 hrs of class work or its equivalent. The value assigned to each inservice course shall be stipulated at the time of approval.

(B) Discusses eligibility.

8.1(D) Rate of compensation: Fully participating members of curriculum committees shall be compensated at the rate of $30/hr for any hrs beyond the 25 hr limit during the school year or for any hours during the summer vacation. The chairperson of a curriculum committee...shall be compensated at the rate of $60/hr at any time during the school year or during the summer.

(E) Required Courses/workshops: When required to take a specific course/workshop for which tuition/fees are charged, same will be paid by the District subject to successful completion of the workshop.

* Reduction in force procedures. Longest tenured terminated last.

* Recall rights - 1 calendar year.

* Insurance - if removed for reduction in force, they can maintain their insurance at their cost for up to 18 months (yes, I know - COBRA).

* Student teachers: Acceptance of student teacher supervision and/or observers shall be voluntary.

* Staff benefits re: student teachers: Any incentive provided by a college or university for the supervision of a student teacher shall be given to the supervising teachers.

* Hiring of staff: Before interviewing candidates, a principal shall seek input from current staff/teams in respect to desired qualities and strengths.

* Retirement: Age 55+, 10+ yrs of service with D112 (or combining districts pre-112), only if the Board doesn't have to pay an ERO penalty to TRS, must not have received certain increases, etc. etc...

* Salary Enhancement Payments and Lump Sum Post Retirement Payment: Eligible teachers may elect a 1 yr notice of retirement/resignation to be followed by a 6% increase in base salary or a 2 yr notice of retirement/resignation to be followed by a 6% increase in each of the final 2 years as compared to the prior year's base salary or a 3 yr notice of r/r to be followed by a 6% increase in each of the final 3 years... or a 4 yr notice... Teachers eligible for ERO shall not receive this payment

* Lump Sum Post Retirement Payment: Eligible teachers shall also be entitled to a lump sum post-retirement severance payment of $15,000 to be paid by July 30 after the effective date of retirement. Teachers eligible for ERO shall not receive this payment.

* Greivances: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3

* Sick Leave:Each teacher shall be entitled to a total of 15 sick days w/full pay per school term. Such sick leave shall accumulate to a maximum of 390 days (provided the allotment of 15 days shall be used before reducing the total accumulation of 390 days. A sep. record will be kept of sick leave above the 390 days in the event of future value or use as may be agreed).

Sick leave is personal illness, serious illness, death in immediate family/household, birth, adoption or placement for adoption. The District may require certification as a basis for pay during leave after an absence of 3 days for personal illness, etc. If the District requires a certificate, the District shall pay the expenses incurred by the teacher in obtaining the certificate.

After current and accumulative sick leave has been used, the teacher shall be granted a further emergency sick leave up to 50 days at full pay for catastrophic illness or injury. The days used may not be replaced or replenished. However each teacher upon reaching 340 accumulated unused sick leave days shall have the emergency sick leave days decreased in number for each day the teacher accumulates unused sick days above 340..

* Bereavement Leave: 5 days per school year, not deducted from sick leave.

* Personal Leave: 3 days each school year for personal or business use matters that can not reasonably be scheduled outside work hours. Unused personal leave for such purposes shall be cumulative to a maximum of 4 days. Unused personal leave days shall be ADDED to accumulated sick leave days each year after the stated limit is reached. All unused personal days will carry over each year until the limit of 4 days is reached...

* Battery Against Teachers w/in Scope of Employment: Work time lost by a teacher because of a battery shall result in no loss of salary or accumulated sick leave for a period not to exceed 20 days.

* Sabbatical Leave: Full time teacher, who's served in District for at least 6 years. Available to all teachers. Length one semester or one full year. Allowance to teacher on sabbatical leave is 50% of the teachers salary as if in actual service, or the minimum salary as described in the School Code, whichever is greater. Retain all rights of tenure, progression, pension rights. District continues to pay the teacher's group insurance premiums and other benefits, including all TRS contributions as if in actual service.

* Unpaid leaves of absence: Parental leave. Disability leave (available after exhausting sick leave).

* Insurance: The District pays 100% of the premiums for a $75,000 term life insurance, individual dental insurance coverage, and individual health insurance coverage. District contributes 25% of premiums toward Family PPO health insurance coverage. Those opting out of health insurance coverage get a $100 payment in any year for which they opt out.

* Part time teachers under 50% employment don't get insurance, those at 50% or more get the full contribution.

* Salary payment: Teachers can choose to receive 12 payments or 10 payments.

* Early Pay option: Teachers electing the 12 payment option can elect to receive his/her July and August paychecks on the final pay day in June by applying in writing by March 1st.

* Extra Duty Stipends: Interscholastic/intramural activities, clubs, supervisory or instructional duties outside the regular school day, during scheduled lunch periods, planning times, or when teachers are not carrying out their normal duties and responsibilities.

- Bus duty, hall duty, interscholastic, lunchroom, safety patrol, school-wide saturday detention, after school study hall: $28/hr

- Non-instructional activities have a whole set of stipends and longevity awards which range from $803 for 20-34 hrs, to $2814 for 141 hrs. And longevity from $104 to $366 for the corresponding hours.

* Instructional Support Staff: New teacher mentor $1022 base pay. with increases "per mentee" for years 1, 2, 3, and 4

* District mentor: Base pay $3066

* Middle School team leader: base pay $1226

Add 2.55% to these amounts for the 2011/2012 year.

* Salary Schedule:

Depends on degree. BA, BA+9 hrs, BA+18 hrs, BA+27 hrs, MA, MA+9 hrs, MA+18 hrs, MA+27 hrs, MA+35 hrs, MA+42 hrs, MA+45 hrs. Ranges from $41149 (BA) to $107345 (MA+45)

Longevity amounts can increase the salary amounts.

I merely listed the ability to stay on the health insurance plan under COBRA as a benefit. Since the teacher is paying for that, I've got no problem with it.

As for the other contract provisions, as I've publicly stated in front of the D112 board previously, YES, some of the benefits are inherently too much.

Here's the statement I made in 2010:

Members of the District 112 Board:

We all value education. I am alum of Elm Place School and found the experience to be a good preparation for attending Highland Park High School. However, I come before you this evening because the overall tax burden in Highland Park is too onerous. The two school districts (112 and 113) serving our community are responsible for approximately 67% of our tax bill. A tax bill which has continued to go up year-after-year - with no apparent end in sight.

The economic situation is dire - people all across the country are unemployed or underemployed. The housing market has taken a nosedive, and foreclosures are at record highs. And Highland Park has not escaped the wrath of the economic beast either.

I've spoken with many of my friends and neighbors - some of whom have lived in Highland Park for upwards of 30 or 40 years, and they would like to sell their homes because the ever-growing tax bill is putting enormous financial pressure on them. Some have kids in the District, some don't.

Simply selling one's home in this market isn't possible, so some are considering simply walking away from their beloved home and neighborhood of 30+ years because of an overpowering tax burden which you have a substantial amount of control over.

The argument used to be made that "good schools attract people to the community", and that may indeed have been the case when the economy was booming, but in the middle of a Great Recession to rival the Great Depression, people are staying away from this community. Realtors will tell you that potential buyers are excited about the prospective home - until they see the tax bill - then they say "Nope, no thanks."

Businesses looking to cut costs are moving away. Those who want to keep their costs as low as possible don't want to relocate here, or they try to finagle some sweetheart deal to cut their tax bill - while shifting their burden to the rest of the taxpayers.

In short - the excessive, practically confiscatory tax rate is destroying our community.

To resolve this issue - you absolutely MUST cut your budget. You've done some work and are to be commended for it - but you still have much to do.

Cut the salaries. Cut the benefits. I've reviewed the information on your website:

 Contracts for the teachers,
 Salaries for the administrators.

all of it is way out of line, and entirely too high.

Keeping in mind that a School District makes NO money, but simply taxes and spends OUR money:

 I am outraged that our Superintendent makes approximately $292,000 per year as a base salary, and on top of that is given a mileage allowance of several thousand dollars. Why not keep track of the business mileage and deduct it from your taxes like the rest of us? Can't we find someone who could do the job for less? Much, much less? When the Superintendent's contract comes up for renewal - we need to say "I'm sorry, but we can't afford you any longer" and find a replacement.

 I'm astonished that many administrators and teachers make over $100,000 per year.

 And I'm flat out angry at the gold-plated benefits and retirement packages that the Board has granted.

Starting now, and going forward - taxes need to decrease. I, and my neighbors, simply refuse to lose our homes because you and other taxing bodies are out of control and unable to stand up to the Unions that live in fantasy land.

Here's some of my suggestions:

 If it's not required by law that the District fund the THIS contribution for teachers - then the teachers need to make their own THIS contribution via paycheck deductions.

 If it's not required by law that the District fund the TRS contribution for teachers - then the teachers need to make their own TRS contribution via paycheck deductions.

 If someone decides not to participate in a medical and/or dental plan offered by the District - then they should NOT receive any amount as cash compensation.

 There should absolutely NOT be any more free insurance coverage - the employee and his/her family should fund no less than 90% of the cost of such coverage. No more free immunizations - employees can and should pay for them on their own - they can go to Walgreen's like the rest of us. No more free wellness screenings - if the employee wants it - then they can pay for it.

 No more accumulating and cashing out of sick days, paid days off, holidays, personal days, vacation days, or whatever you want to call it. The amount of possible accumulation at 290 or 390 days is obscene. The District needs to offer a maximum of 20 days for personal or sick time, and move immediately to a "use it or lose it" model - just like employees in Corporate America have.

 No more "emergency sick leave" time - if you run out of sick days, then that's it - no more.

 No more "salary enhancement payments" when someone's going to retire. No more LUMP SUM Post Retirement payments of $15,000, in fact, NO SEVERANCE PAYMENTS at all.

 No more extra pay for things like "In-service meetings/training". They're already getting a salary - so there shouldn't be any reason to pay someone $40.00/hour on top of their salary. No more "Extra Duty Compensation" - that we pay someone a MINIMUM of $25.00/hour for lunch room duty or some extra-curricular activity on top of their salary is unjustified. That we pay them an additional 1% (or any percent) for "Outdoor Education" is ludicrous as well. In case this is unclear, no more extra duty stipends at all.

 No more bonuses. No more "merit pay". Bonuses are intended to induce employees to stay in times of low unemployment. In this period of high unemployment, there's plenty of candidates available to take the job if someone isn't happy with it.

 No more automatic raises whether they are for getting "graduate credits", built into a contract, or otherwise: That the salaries are going up 4.25% is simply ridiculous. Lake County employees are on their 2nd year of going without raises, State employees all over the country are being forced to take furlough days, and if anyone got any kind of a raise it was in the 1 to 2% range. So how can it be justified to give everyone a 4.25% raise just because they're continuing to come to work? The short answer is that it can't. Again, the District needs to move to a model similar to that used by Corporate America - create a pool of available dollars for salaries, and give raises to those who have performed above and beyond - when the pool is dry, there's no more raises. Anyone doesn't like it - they're welcome to leave the District… there's plenty of candidates.

 No "Early Pay Options" - you get your paycheck when it's due, not early just because it's summer break. Why should the District give up any potential interest earnings on those funds?

 No "Compensatory Time".

 No "Internal Subsitution" payments at any amount, and especially not $30.00 or $35.00/hour. In the real world, if you have an employee out sick - the remaining employees get to pick up the slack - there's no extra payments made.

 No more "Professional Growth" or University Course payments or reimbursements: You're a professional - so fund this yourself. Keep track of it and deduct from your taxes as possible - just like the rest of us do.

 No more extra payments for serving on a committee. That we pay a chairperson or presenter on a committee $60.00/hour is ridiculous. In the real world - you serve on a committee as part of your job when your employer appoints you to do so - you don't get paid more for it.

 No tenure: This is an elementary school system, not a University where professors may be desirous of teaching controversial subjects, or espousing unpopular viewpoints. Few, if any employees, in any company have any sort of contract or guaranteed employment. If we need to reduce the number of teachers - that should be our decision - and not restricted by some contract.

 No more sabbaticals at 50% pay while we pay all their other benefits. In fact, no more sabbaticals at all.

If you want to guarantee a source of funding for District 112, then you are going to have to make very large cuts to everything in your budget. Nothing should be sacrosanct. Our homes, and by extension - the District is riding on those decisions.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening.

Continue the 100% funding of insurance for the teacher, and high percentages for the families of the teachers: NO.

Totally eliminate certain benefits: Yes.

Curtail or cut back other benefits: Yes.

Get rid of tenure for elementary and high school teachers: Yes. Tenure is designed to allow University Professors to teach controversial topics w/o fear of being fired. Praytell, what specifically is controversial about elementary and high school subjects that tenure is required?

All tenure does is restrict the ability of the District to manage its workforce as it sees fit.

In the private sector: You get hired for a job, you do that job and "other duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor". You work during lunch at times. You get assigned to committees without extra pay. You do what it takes to get the job done for the salary you're given. You don't get to carry over vacation/sick days, etc.

Why should that be any different in the Public Sector?

Well if you can get the union to agree to those things, then go for it. But you DO need union agreement, you understand that, right? The title of this column is "Partnership Not Negotiations Needed". And he's absolutely correct. You want a world class school system? You treat your teachers as valued team members. If they agree to sign up to your reforms, then great.

"Well if you can get the union to agree to those things, then go for it. But you DO need union agreement, you understand that, right?" - I understand that it'd be very NICE to have Union agreement as that precludes many other issues, but it's not required. There's 60,000 certified candidates in the pipeline according to the ISBE, certainly some of those would be qualified and willing to teach at the terms offered, even if the Union chose not to.

Once a upon a time, Unions served to swing the pendulum back toward worker's rights. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they've swung the pendulum too far in that direction and in the case of public sector unions, the taxpayers suffer for it. It's time to swing the pendulum back a bit so we have reasonable salaries and benefits.

Again, in my opinion, what's out there now is too much and needs to be scaled back.

No one's claiming that our teachers aren't "valued team members", but lots of businesses (public and private) operate without contracts in place for their employees, and there's no reason why the Elementary and High School Districts can't do so as well.

"If we can't get 'em to agree just fire 'em and hire new teachers. Yes that is certainly a great way to partner with the teachers and community."

I'm not saying our offer would be unfair-they'd be fairly compensated. But if they want more than what we're willing to pay, that's unfortunate, and they're free to seek employment elsewhere.

This isn't a for-profit enterprise where we "partner" with the employees, and share in increased returns. This is a public enterprise which consumes tax dollars and educates our children and does not make a financial profit (yeah, we all profit by well-educated children, but that's not the point)-we want the best value for our tax dollars and I happen to believe that overcompensating teachers or administrators doesn't give us that value.

As for your claim that my opinions are somehow extreme, I find myself in good company with President. Franklin D. Roosevelt who said, in part, "... Meticulous attention should be paid to the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the government.All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations ..."

Fortunately the 1935 NLRA excluded Federal, State and Local employees. Unfortunately, those conniving NY State politicians in 1958 decided to allow civil employees via executive order, and here we are.