Suburban legislators face tough questions on teacher pensions

An otherwise calm discussion on issues facing the state’s education system got a bit rambunctious Saturday, as frustrated teachers skewered five suburban legislators on the state of teacher pensions.

State Sen. Dan Kotowski, and Reps. Sid Mathias, Michelle Mussman, Tom Morrison and David Harris took part in the discussion hosted by the Illinois Education Association in Palatine.

They talked about school funding and taxation, charter schools and vouchers, and school consolidation, among other things.

A comment made by Arlington Heights Republican Harris, who represents the 66th District, riled up the crowd of teachers who had been listening for an hour before legislators got to the meat of the discussion — teacher pensions.

Harris said the IEA didn’t do enough to stop former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich from diverting funds from the teacher retirement system.

In 2005, Blagojevich and Democratic lawmakers temporarily set aside the state’s 50-year plan to pay down its massive liability to the Illinois pension systems for two years. They passed a law that reduced by nearly $2.3 billion the legally authorized pension payments to the Teachers’ Retirement System and other pension systems.

Harris acknowledged that the state was remiss in not making required payments into the pension systems, but added, “We should not have let him do it.”

The comment elicited jeers from the crowd with one educator shouting, “You are making us feel guilty for the fact that you owe us that money.”

Roger Voigt, a retired driver’s education teacher and coach at Hersey High School in Northwest Suburban High School District 214, said it’s unfair of legislators to now change teacher pension requirements.

“We did everything that you asked us to do and now you want to change the rules. I don’t think that’s right,” he said.

The lawmakers agreed the state didn’t uphold its end of the bargain with teachers and vowed to protect their pensions.

“You are not responsible for this situation,” said freshman legislator Mussman, a Schaumburg Democrat representing the 56th District. “If you were promised one thing, and you’re not going to get it, we need to come back to the table and make an adjustment, but you need to be at the table also.”

Helene Potish, eighth-grade Spanish teacher at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling Township Elementary District 21, said lawmakers need to eliminate double-dipping by retired administrators who are collecting pensions and six-figure salaries simultaneously.

Another contentious issue was using charter schools and vouchers — that divert tax dollars for private education — as alternative choices for students.

Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat representing the 33rd District, said he feared valuable resources would be diverted away from the students and schools that need it the most.

Mathias, a Buffalo Grove Republican who represents the 53rd District, said he opposes vouchers but is willing to consider charter schools.

Freshman legislator Morrison, a Palatine Republican representing the 54th District, said competition brings out the best in schools.

“I think the concept of charter schools and vouchers should be discussed because it gets more parents involved, and an individual student may be better off in a different school,” he said.

Val Pientka, a teacher in Barrington Area Unit District 220, took issue with Morrison equating schools to businesses.

“We build human capacity in kids,” she said. “It’s not a business. Competition is not part of the equation. Please don’t lose sight that we work with children.”