Clarification #1: Springfield is the capital of Illinois, not Chicago. If you plan to write an article about what Illinois lawmakers are discussing, it might be more credible to report from the primary source.
Clarification #2: Omitted from your article was the decision to offer early retirement incentives for the last 20-some years. The lawmakers figured that if the highest paid teachers retired, the State's underfunding of education would not look as disgusting as it was. Breakthroughs in medical science have allowed these teachers to live decades longer than anticipated. Therefore, yes, there are LOTS of healthy, retired, Baby-Boomin' teachers in our state. Yeah for them! Oopsie for the legislators.
Clarification #3: I was saddened by your bias in adding that, if IL legislators honor the Constitution of the State (my words, sorry), money would be necessarily taken from education and health care. That is already coming, so associating paying retirees the money owed to them would cut this funding is irresponsible on your part. IL neglected to place the money that was taken from teacher paychecks and invest it as it was legally obligated to do. If this were a company, we would be forming an "Occupy Springfield" movement and shunning its CEOs. Teachers will now, thanks to the November vote, be giving IL MORE money toward a fictitious pension that it has already mishandled.
Clarification #4: Richard Dye (whomever he is) is quoted in your article (was he even talking about teacher pensions?) as saying, "It's a culture of 'Where's mine?'" Actually, that IS my question. Where is my money that I put into my pension? Teachers spend careers teaching students the importance of being fair and just. Are you feeling the irony? I paid nothing into Social Security after 1999 through no choice of my own. I am told the money I put in to SS for 15 years I will not see and my husband and dependents will not see. Does that sound just?
Clarification #5: Look at a map. Don't rely only on suburban Chicago legislators as your source. In my School Finance class I learned that several suburbs of Chicago can finance themselves and need no funding from the state. We are bleeding south of I-80.
I look forward to seeing your report from the teachers taking days from their (unpaid) "vacations" to speak to legislators this Thursday and Friday. I spell my name with a capital L and two n's.
Sincerely,
JoLynn Plato
IL teacher for 21 years
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