Posted on 09/15/2012 2:12:50 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Four years of up-to-the-limit property tax increases for Chicago homeowners and businesses. Closing scores of under-enrolled and underperforming schools. Thousands of layoffs of teachers and other school staff. More cuts to the central office.
That’s what could await the Chicago Public Schools, thanks to the tentative agreement between teachers and the district that is expected to put an end to the five-day teachers strike.
Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said the 16 percent pay raise included in the tentative agreement will almost certainly trigger massive layoffs and scores of school closings.
Every 1 percent pay raise carries a $20 million price tag. That means the cost of the raises could be as high as $320 million over four years — although it could be less after retirements and cost-saving provisions of the agreement are factored in.
“By agreeing to raises in excess of the budget when you have no reserves, that pretty much guarantees that you have to reduce your personnel and the number of teachers and schools in the system,” Msall said.
“They will have to eliminate under-enrolled and underperforming schools. I don’t know where else you could get the money. We are very concerned that the district did not have a plan for how it could accommodate any salary increase above 2 percent and did not have a plan to address the major components of the $1 billion shortfall it projects for next years.”
Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, said the teachers union has been sounding the alarm about 100 school closings, but he’s “never heard that number from anybody from CPS” or the mayor’s office.
“Naturally, some of the schools will close [given] the percentage of population that is leaving Chicago,” Brookins said.
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
They are smart to get started trying to keep up. Gasoline will be $5.70 a gallon, and a Big Mack $3.75 and fries $2.00!
Average salary of gov worker is $175,000 a year for nothing.
Just teachers getting their share of the funny money.
“Naturally, some of the schools will close [given] the percentage of population that is leaving Chicago,”
de ja vu..........Detroit
Same happened here in NJ; our taxes were so bad that companies (and many of the Americans working at them) left, and the voters elected a tax-cutting, pro-life Republican. That’s how bad it is in NJ...
Cancerous rats killing cities across America
>> Average salary of gov worker is $175,000 a year for nothing.
Ha? Do you mean $75k?
They struck for 5 days and ended up taking the 16% that was originally offered to them. The system should have reduced the offer by 5% for each day the strike was going on till they were getting pay cuts instead of raises. That the way to deal with a union. Let them go somewhere else to work if the don’t like working for $71k year.
Um.. You want them to math? Not happening. But they got what they wanted so why would they care? They don’t care if it’s funny money or any other kind, they got it by doing absolutely nothing so they can continue to do the same. Getting paid to do effectually nothing. Forty seven percent of America is doing the same. You have to hand it to the communists/ socialists, the numbers are against us.
“Gasoline will be $5.70 a gallon, and a Big Mack $3.75 and fries $2.00!”
Don’t look now, but I think a big mac is already more than that in some places.
Yesterday, quarter pounder with cheese, fish sandwich, and a small coke...$9.78
You have it right. Wages lag general inflation. The current lag is exacerbated by unemployment. However, the increases are sure to come across the economy. The teachers had their window of opportunity and took advantage of it.
The increase is about 4% per year. We will be fortunate if the inflation (devaluation) rate is a mere 4% over the next 4 years. We will be getting a COLA SS notification in the coming weeks. I wonder if it will be near 4%
Can anyone post a copy of the Chicago teachers pay scale? That would be interesting to see.
I sure don’t worry about this. A poll the other day showed a majority of Chicago residents in favor of the Teachers Union. If they want to have their taxes go up, have at it!
We all work to support our Public Union Teachers. We need a reva O lution
Bullsh$t. They are part of the problem -- a big part.
RE SS cola for 2013, I looked it up today online and it is “estimated” to be 1.3% but the actual percentage will not be out until October.
But how much of that COLA would be offset by increases in the Medicare premiums? I’ll be lucky to net out $10 a month. That’s why I’m still working at 72.
Well that’s interesting.
I’m still working some and so is my wife but we both enjoy being in harness at 70.
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