Dist. 200 raises a slap in the face

Dist. 200 raises a slap in the face

I was greatly disappointed and angry about the action of the Wheaton Warrenville District 200 board to grant end-of-career raises above 6 percent a year that resulted in a penalty of over $140,000.

This irresponsible decision further contributes to the problem of the ridiculously high underfunding of teachers pensions in the state.

In addition, the payment of the penalty reduces the funds available to the district for educational purposes. I, as a Wheaton taxpayer for over 40 years, resent this unnecessary expenditure of my tax dollars. As over 80 percent of my property taxes go to support schools, I am particularly concerned that these funds are handled in a responsible manner.

Even though I have not had a child in the Wheaton public schools for over 30 years, I have supported the various school referendums over the years. With the present board made up of many members that made this decision, I will have to re-evaluate my support of future requests for additional funding for proposed projects.

The board has greatly let the people of down. Taking into consideration these tough economic times, the action of granting such generous raises only makes this decision even more egregious. Frankly, you have done a great disservice to the residents of Wheaton.

George Reuss

Wheaton