Letter to the Community
Pension Reform: Observations from a New Illinois School Superintendent
Glenbard Township High School District 87 Superintendent David F. Larson shares his observations on pension reform. Glen Ellyn Patch welcomes letters and opinion pieces. E-mail Mary Ann Lopez at maryl@patch.com.
Pension Reform Observations As a new superintendent in Illinois, it has been intriguing watching the saga of the state's long-term troubled pension system. The following are a few observations from a newcomer’s perspective regarding the lessons to learn from our pension woes: Lesson One - Poor Stewardship Can Be Costly It is unfortunate that the consequence for the lack of political will and fiscal responsibility has been passed on to future generations. The current Legislature is tasked with fixing a system that commissions and task forces in previous decades had reported on. In 1973, one commission reported, "The pension obligation still remains almost wholly obscured or ignored by some public officials." The lack of collective …
Wire Points
12:35 pm on Friday, January 11, 2013
Absolutely not. That "trigger" provision you mention is the most dangerous, foolish thing put fort in any of the reform proposals. It would essentially put a mortgage on the state's dwindling free cash flow, allowing courts to seize the cash and redirect it to doomed defined benefit pensions, with no say by the legislature. It's discussed here: http://www.wirepoints.com/one-particular-bit-of-… more ›