Teachers aren't only ones frustrated about contract

In the Aug. 31 edition of the Daily Herald, the article titled "Frustration mounts in West Chicago high school teacher contract talks" states, "A teacher at the top of the pay scale this year received a $94,919 base salary. A beginning teacher received $42,932."

Yet, according to the "FY16-17 Total Compensation Greater than 75K Report" shown on the district website, 13 teachers received base salaries greater than this $94,919 base with the highest being $117,525. Although all teacher salaries for FY16-17 are not shown on the website, the salaries for FY15-16 are shown and only one teacher is shown receiving a salary of under $43,000. Furthermore, based on the information from these two reports, the teachers contribute nothing to their own pensions - the district taxpayers pay for the 9.5 percent pension contribution that we have been led to believe comes out of a teacher's base salary. In fact, this 9.5 percent contribution has been one of the teachers' justifications for the generous pensions that most of them will receive.

District 94 also had the 6 percent pension spikes for retiring educators in their past teachers contract. The result of this wasteful benefit is that 25 percent of District 94 retirees are already getting $100,000-plus pensions and a total of 60 percent are getting pensions of $75,000-plus.

So in this district, the taxpayers are paying the 9.5 percent pension contribution, and they are paying for the wasteful pension spikes for retiring educators. Hopefully this school board realizes their teachers need to be responsible for more of their own retirement costs and this can be reflected in the new teachers contract. I am sure the teachers union will realize this, too. Yeah, right.

Ken Hofrichter

Elk Grove Village