From Education Matters.us
From our friends over at Education Matters.us
The PTA, Teachers Unions, and school officials are hosting a meeting on Saturday, April 12th to push the $8 Billion Dollar tax increase known as HB750 or SB2288. Since this is being hosted at a school, I wonder if any of the groups hosting the event are paying for the facilities or are the taxpayers footing the bill.
A+ Illinois Group is also promoting this education forum at Winston Campus 4/12: (see flyer, below; and proponents of the Tax Swap, HB 750 (2007)and SB2288 (2008)). District 15/211 Leaders also to attend (see below).
From a Flier:
Make your plans to attend and participate in the most important community forum ever focusing on public education in the Northwest Suburbs.
The Northwest Suburban Area
Community Forum on Public Education
Saturday, April 12, 2008
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Winston Campus, Junior High
900 East Palatine Road
Palatine, IllinoisCommunity members, parents, school employees and patrons in the Northwest Cook and Lake County Suburbs are invited to attend this important community conference on education.
This event is free to all. Continental breakfast will be served.
Master of Ceremonies: Dann Gire, Film Critic, Daily Herald
Event Chair: Celina Watts, Region 43 Chair, Illinois Education Association
Outstanding featured presenters will include:
- Robert McKanna, Ed.D, Superintendent, Palatine School District 15
- William Dussling, School Board Member, Township High School District 214
- Bob Kaplan, School Principal, Schaumburg District 54
- John Braglia, President, District 211 Teachers Association, IFT
- Keith Janosch, Special Education Inclusion Teacher, District 15
- Alfonso Flores, Bilingual Teacher, District 15
- Kathy Lange, 2005 National Educational Support Professional of the Year
- Ilona Sala, President, Harper College Adjunct Faculty Association, IEA
- Wayne Keen, Technology Support Specialist, River Trails District 26
- Aaron Chun and Anthony Cerqua, Students, Lake Zurich High School
- Joyce Sevarino, 2008 Illinois Educational Support Professional of the Year
- Ruth Gloede, Assistant Superintendent CCSD 59
This event and open community dialogue session marks the first time in which parents, community members, the education community and leaders will come together in an open forum to discuss current issues and changes in public education in the Northwest Suburbs.
Conference planners expect a large turnout from the public, so secure your seat now.
Mark your calendar today!
Please RSVP to (847) 359-0300. Ask for Education Forum reservations.
Hosted by the Northwest Suburban Regions of the Illinois Education Association
Last year, the unions and school officials enlisted students and used taxpayer dollars to bus them to Springfield for a rally. I would venture to say they will probably do that again at some point this spring. To read the reports on last years taxpayer funded rallys:
- Springfield Rally: How Much Did It Cost The Taxpayer?
- Taxpayer Funded Rally in Springfield
- Chicago Public School Tax Curriculum
HB750 and SB2288 are not a Tax Swap, they are a tax increase. This is an $8 Billion dollar tax increase. Everyday we hear more and more stories about how bad the economy is, how many people are losing their homes from foreclosure. Yet, the teachers unions, school officials, and many elected officials want to saddle us with an ever increasing tax burden so they can spend as much money as they want. Of course they tell us it is all for the kids. The truth is this is not for the kids. Look at the numbers during the presentation. A large chunk of this money goes to the State’s structural deficit, another large chunk to the teachers’ pension fund, finally the remaining money goes to increase the Foundation level money to the schools.
Even the money going to the schools will not all go to the kids. Look at your schools budget. Anywhere from 70-80% of their budget goes to salaries and benefits. Have you looked at the teachers contract in your district? How many perks are in it? Did you know most districts give large bonuses in the final 3-4 years before a teacher retires to artificially inflate their pension? Did you know districts give their teachers 2-3 raises per year? Just go the Champion News to see what your teachers and administrators really make, not what is spread by the unions, administrators and school board members.
I would encourage as many taxpayers as possible go to this meeting and seek the truth. Just watch the numbers and see if what I am saying is true. Ask questions like,
- How much money is enough to adequately educate a child? (I have yet to have a school official or politician answer that question with a number. )
- Why can’t parents choose the school that best fits their childs needs?
- How much has funding increased over the past 10 years?
- What was CPI over that time period?
- Did the raises for teachers and administrators exceed CPI over that time period?
Did you know we have school districts in Illinois that spend between $3000 – $4000 per child, while we have others that spend over $23000 per child? Did you know there are school administrators that make over $200,o000? $300,000? per year?
This tax increase empowers the school bureaucracies, legislators and governor and takes more of your and my freedom away. It allows the government schools to continue to be unaccountable for the poor job of education they are providing while allowing them to increase their personal perks.
In a story last night on Fox News, it was stated that the largest demographic using the MD VIP services. MD VIP services are where you spend about $1500 per year extra to get boutique or concierge medical service. Isn’t it funny when you hear about how poorly teachers are paid and yet they are the ones who when retired can afford luxery medical services that the majority of us cannot afford. Watch the video of this report yourself at MyFoxChicago.com.