-- 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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New study reveals 3 out of 5 teachers are considering leaving because they’re worried their pension plan will blow up.
Those who consider leaving and don’t are either frightened by the leap of faith in their own ability that a change presents or they lack the skill to succeed elsewhere. There are many talented folks burnt out in schools but afraid to move on to other opportunities.
There is a term that’s applicable to your description. Such disenchanted employees sometimes choose to stay where the bennies are enough so as to feel bound in a disagreeable job by “the golden handcuffs”. That’s something I remember from Psych 101 called the attraction-repulsion dilemma, deciding which way to go when presented with the attractiveness of one option in a particular dilemma and the relative degree of repulsion if you choose the other option. Now, which would you choose given a strong enough bribe to do something that’s disagreeable?
I jumped the CPS ship back in the mid Seventies for an actuarial career with a major insurance company. I left after my colleagues elected me the school’s pension rep. I read the pension booklet and realized the golden handcuffs were fools gold. The promises were unsustainable.
That’s part of the calculus for sure.
Good job describing all the whiny toddlers on this site that complain about Illinois politics but are too frightened in their ability to handle change or they lack the skills to succeed elsewhere.
The pay is just way too low for putting up with these kids, parents and administrators. Not to mention all the whiny boomers that think because they went to school 8 billion years ago they know anything about educating children. You would think they would be busy complaining about Biden’s weather machine but their need to whine can’t be satisfied.
It would be a thankless job if you’re constantly at odds with kids, parents, and administrators; more so if you’re also concerned about your own physical safety.
When was teaching ever a high paying job? Yet somehow more than 20% of us boomers learned to read and do math.
Sorry, Bill from Oswego, your whining and complaining don’t change the fact of the failure of the education system to educate kids.
Sadly, all those whining boomers can read and understand simple math. Sad skills when compared to graduates of the last 20 years.
The education system has screwed up education so badly that teachers don’t want to work in it any more. Somehow this is the fault of everything and everyone except the educators who created the system.
Spot on Prozac Please. They created this mess. They have gone along with the curriculum. Very few teachers have been in the “profession” for the right reason – that being “to teach”. Very few teachers will or are allowed to teach about family values – which is why they are now dealing with unruly students. Most joined this profession for no accountability, Winter Break, Spring Break summers off, 18 plus personal and sick days each year and lets not forget the nice pension awaiting them when they retire. They do not even teach a full 8 hour day.
Does it really matter? They aren’t teaching the children anything. The scores show that.
Perhaps private/ religious schools, charter schools, home schooling and remote learning will be the only options. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. At the very least the prospect of it may spur public schools to do better.
What did they think was going to happen?? The state forces mostly normal (but Kamala-Biden) supporting teachers to fully indoctrinate students in every aspect of [deleted] propaganda. This is reflected below the surface in the survey: “You can’t pay me enough to teach gender theory to 7 year olds” for pay, “Parents get angry at me because their kids can’t do basic math any more” for lack of professionalism, and “I spend all my time teaching globohomo” for increased workloads. My son’s elementary school (not high school) just eliminated grades. No more grades, everybody gets M’s for “mastery” or P’s… Read more »
Debtsor, we have asked you before. No slurs.
Back a million years ago my grade school (Catholic) did not hive out letter grades. I don’t remember the classifications, but pretty much, meets standards or needs improving. Each class then had a bunch of categories where a checkmark was not good. ( paying attention, follow direction, etc)
Long ago, in my Lake County elementary school, at any grade you had to perform to move on to the next grade. Not moving on was unthinkable to me, so I did the work. And I had great teachers, who rightly pointed out that if I put in an extra 10 percent effort, that meant not just moving on but getting top marks. My single mother was supportive but was very grateful for the school district. Today, if you don’t perform in many schools you still get moved on, no matter if a student learns anything. What incentives are there… Read more »