-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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Check out the Venice Illinois school district. There are under 100 students but they are getting a brand new school. Why would they want to consolidate with the neighboring district even though they sent classes there while the new school was being built. Quite an expensive concept in my book but they didn’t ask me.
“I think many of the savings would be illusory. You might save by cutting some superintendents, but in my research on consolidating municipalities and other local governments, I found that savings often didn’t materialize,” said Nowlan. “Consolidation usually wouldn’t move forward unless employees were guaranteed salaries at least equal to the highest-paying district involved.” This pretty much highlights the problem. I seriously doubt, much, if any savings would be realized. I would imagine that the new contract would take the best pay and benefits from each district and make one more expensive contract. Sure you would only have one superintendent… Read more »
So the point is that public employees will always find a way to preserve their jobs? There’s no way to get rid of them? Probably right, but that doesn’t mean we should pretend it’s OK.
By all means, the voters should merge school districts if that’s what the voters desire. They are welcome to try but employees are also free to negotiate for the better wages and benefits. You are not entitled to their labor without their agreement. I know that frustrates you and in your world they would be forced to work for whatever scraps you tossed their way but that’s not how negotiating works.
You keep assuming that their labor is a precious commodity that we are trying to steal from them.
What part of “you aren’t as good as you seem to think you are?” or “others could get the job done better for less” do you not understand?
I’m not assuming that. You and others here get outraged when teachers use their constitutional right to negotiate for better wages and benefits. If the price they are asking is too high you are free to not use their labor and find that cheaper teaching source. FYI, an individual and their labor is typically not a precious commodity but an organized group that negotiates their labor is definitely precious. Obviously that makes you upset that you can’t steam roll teachers the way you could otherwise. Your “others could get the job done for less” only works until the “others” figure… Read more »
People get paid well for excellent work they perform, even without a “precious” union. It happens all the time in the private sector.
In the public sector, we deal with people who scream they are “professionals” while expecting to be paid as if they are assembly line workers. And refusing to take responsibility for the results they produce. They are “professionals” who are just cogs in a machine, right?
Do you think insisting that I should teach myself is a clever point?
You keep pretending that you know how to fix things when you are completely useless on the subject. Your only point is less pay and fire teachers. WOW, that should fix things. I mention that you should teach so you can show us how it’s done. I’ve asked, along with James, where are these magical teachers that are better than the current ones that you think you can pay even less money? When you are asked real questions about how you going to implement your ideas you change the subject. Yes people can work in the private or public sector… Read more »
See my response to James. Teachers need the job as much as we need teachers.
And if anyone thinks they are special, it’s teachers. The group who demand nothing but sympathy for how tough they have it, cannot be criticized or held accountable for their results, and by the way, give them more money.
A wide receiver who drops 80% of the passes thrown his way will not be in the league for long.
An actor or director whose movies flop 80% of the time will not be making movies for very long.
A pilot who fails 80% of his annual certification will not be flying for long.
Seems these unions are not really equivalent to unions that protect people who have contracts that only require them to show up at a designated time and place.
Assembly line workers. And teachers.
Sure, that’s an argument to be made. But, in general where are all those other applicants? That depends on lots of things such as the particular jobs to be done, the appeal of working and even living in that area, the number of qualified applicants and the other places offering just as many appealing aspects or maybe even more. Then, it also depends upon the general appeal of any such applicants, doesn’t it? Do they seem really well qualified? Would they seem to be good role models for the positions, etc.? But, where most applicants would find the job site… Read more »
Your argument that it would be hard to find qualified teachers has an opposite side that you never seem to consider.
Where would teachers find another job with anywhere near the pay, benefits and working hours they have now? What jobs are they qualified for outside of education?
The truth is we need teachers, and teachers need schools. If we were to eliminate the union, fire all the teachers, and offer them their jobs back on more reasonable and affordable terms, most would take the job.
I agree with much you’ve said here, but we all know people who have done well enough financially while employed in jobs unexpected from their college diploma’s expectations. My daughter-in-law is a good example. She majored in biology and had a minor in women’s studies, whatever that means. She worked 3-4 years in water quality assessments while living in TX. Upon moving back to IL she segued into the world of financial planning and has been well employed in it for roughly 20 years. She is full of stories about people she’s met who studied at college for one thing,… Read more »
Yes, lots of people can make careers in a field not specifically related to the degree they got.
You know where talented people who got degrees in something outside of the specific field cannot get a job? Education. Why is that?
It’s probably based upon the same kind of generalized negative group-description mentality you are expressing here. The reality is that people have uniqueness built into them, but casual group-think observers tend toward narrower descriptions of others since that’s mentally easier and less time consuming. Are you of those superficial, get-it-done-quickly thinkers? My bet is you are, and that says something negative about you. Maybe you’re not really the genius you think you are either.
I’ve never worked as a teacher James but I have worked with many ex-teachers in the corporate world that were excellent employees. I would guess that they needed to have their day planned down to the minute and be prepared before showing up to teach. That mindset transitions well into the corporate world as well as not being afraid to work nights. Every single one of them was grateful and appreciative for the ability to get the resources needed to get their job done compared to their days teaching when they had to ration paper for the printer. When I… Read more »
The best teachers are great entertainers, but that’s not to say it’s true for all teachers nor that is all they need to be.. What literally every teacher has to do is essentially akin to what a staff would do for the headliner on a TV talk show: plan ahead both in long term goals but even with each day’s performance duties in getting there, then work on those goals with fervor and variety of imaginative presentations. As to what’s done minute by minute he/she has no ongoing rehearsal time, no reminders or prompts in the way of cue cards,… Read more »
Just another statement where you show your complete disrespect for teachers. Once again, you are not better than them. What have you provided for society other than being an angry bitter old woman?
Want respect? Start earning it.
Stop voting for leaders like Stacy Davis Gates, Becky Pringle and Randi Weingarten. Stop shouting about things you can’t possibly control, and start working on the things you are actually paid to do.
Start educating children. Stop pretending it’s OK that kids are passed and graduated without basic skills.
Start acting like professionals instead of whining that failure is always somebody else’s fault.
Or you can keep shaming me for not being a teacher but having the audacity to point out the obvious failure.
“Where would teachers find another job with anywhere near the pay,” 33% of all new teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years. They clearly have other endeavors in mind. Acting as if teachers can transition their education and skill set to other jobs is ridiculous and only shows your lack of respect for these people. You clearly hate them and can’t get past your own bias. “If we were to eliminate the union, fire all the teachers, and offer them their jobs back on more reasonable and affordable terms, most would take the job.” And there’s the crux… Read more »
It’s unfortunate that you can’t seem to make a point without accusing me of being a jealous, bitter old woman.
Okay, so maybe you are a “real” man. Either way “if the shoe fits ….”
You haven’t presented any other logical reason for your hatred. You may not think that’s who you are but based on your statements, that’s the only logical conclusion. You hate an entire profession based on your low information about the job. You think it can be done better but offer no plan for how this can be accomplished. All of your past suggestions were around changing administrative polices and nothing about teachers other than lower pay. You are bitter about their pay. Would you prefer angry? You are jealous of their pay. You deny it but constantly complain about what… Read more »
Merging School District doesn’t have to mean losses, 2 districts each with a grade school and a high school within sling shot district often should be merged eliminating overheads. Teachers teach the same students at the same schools but overhead savings could be millions.
The state needs a mandatory merging plan and school districts which refuse to co-operate need to loose some level of funding. There’s dozens and dozens of such examples (even worse) in this state. barely 3rd behind California and Texas which are around 3 times as populous.
Leave school districts alone, unless requested by the involved districts.