| 08/02/2016 6:33 pm |
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 OFFLINE | None of the Tinley Park School Districts provided Administrator Contracts with their public financial documents, but we located the documents through the government transparency advocate, Better Government Association. Each School District Administrator Contract is provided below for Taxpayers to review.
Elementary School Administrator Contracts
High School Administrator Contracts
Without detailing the benefits and pensions from each Tinley Park school district and their slightly varying Administrators' contracts, here are details from Bremen High School District 228 Administrator contracts...
District 228 Administrator contracts span 5 years, with 4% annual pay increases. District Administrators are contracted to work 184 days per year. They receive all paid holidays that are observed by the school district, and also receive 20 days (4 weeks) of vacation time, PLUS they also receive 15 days (3 weeks) of sick leave and 2 days of personal leave where they receive full-pay... so contractually, Administrators only have to work 147 days per year. This equates to 218 days that Administrators don't work (60% of the year not working!) - which is LESS THAN A PART-TIME JOB! By contract, Administrators may also undertake outside [paid] consultation work, speaking engagements, writing, teaching a college/university course, lecturing or other professional duties - providing that this "other work" does not interfere with Administrator job duties. If an Administrator has employment terminated due to misconduct or other "for cause" reason, the board (taxpayers) pay Administrator salary and benefits until a legal/board review is completed. If employment is terminated at no fault, an Administrator receives the balance of salary owed for the remainder of the contract term, or $50,000 severance pay - whichever is less.
District Administrators contribute NOTHING towards their TRS pension, instead, taxpayers are paying the Administrators 9.4% contribution as a "pick-up" (benefit). Administrators also contribute NOTHING towards their family health insurance plan, hospitalization or family dental plan - the taxpayers pay this expense in full. Besides their no-cost, full coverage health and dental plans, Administrators also receive a $750 yearly reimbursement towards an annual physical. District Administrators are covered by a $40,000 life insurance policy and are also covered by term life insurance at 2X their salary, both life insurance plans covered in full by taxpayers. Regular work-related automobile travel is reimbursed at at the IRS mileage rate [which is $0.54 per mile in 2016] and Administrators also receive reimbursed travel expenses. Administrators receive 100% tuition reimbursement towards one graduate course per semester if receiving an "A" grade, or 80% course reimbursement if receiving a "B" grade.
The District 228 Administrator's contract can be seen HERE.
According to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), an Administrator's pension is calculated at 75% of the last 4 years of an administrator's highest average salary, and an annual 3% cost of living increase (compounded) is guaranteed. Administrators contribute NOTHING from their earnings to the TRS pension system, instead the district (taxpayers) pay this as an extra "?perk?"! The Administrator's pension is for LIFE, as is an annual 3% cost of living pension increase.
In 2005 Illinois enacted a law limiting end-of-career salary increases to 6%. Any increase above 6% incurs a penalty, which is charged to the school district (taxpayer). This has not stopped districts from giving large raises to teachers and administrators during the years that count towards calculating a lifetime pension. As seen in Homewood-Flossmoor's district 233, a superintendent received 20% salary increases in multiple years leading up to retirement. The state fined the district $225,884. The taxpayers are not only liable to pay that fine, but are liable for the illegally obtained 20% raises and increased lifetime pension payouts. This superintendent, who retired at age 57 in 2008, has already collected 1.68 million in pension and is expected to collect 10 million in lifetime pension payouts.
There are 3 fundamental problems with this current "6% salary law". 1) The raise cap of 6% should be lowered to the rate of inflation (which has been about 1%) a year. 2) Penalties should be imposed upon the individual receiving the raise. 3) The raise should be considered illegal and therefore void from salary and inclusion in pension calculations. Here is a recent Chicago Tribune article highlighting this problem: Click here to view. |
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Administrator Benefits and Pensions
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