By: Diane Benjamin
3 HUGE issues you need to consider before you vote:
(other issues later)
1)
The SAFE-T act is a pro-criminal bill passed by Illinois Democrats and signed by Gov. Pritzker. It will increase crime across Illinois. Any candidates that don’t REJECT this bill don’t need your vote.
A DEMOCRAT State’s Attorney has filed a lawsuit calling it unconstitutional: https://hb3653.com/
More on Jim Rowe who filed it: https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/states-attorney-jim-rowe-setting-his-course/article_c1a3587a-3f4f-5d32-8822-95abb8dcb25a.html
2)
Amendment 1 hands power to government unions and will increase your property taxes. The needed Constitutional Amendment is reform to pensions, that isn’t on the ballot. Pensions will consume 25% of the State budget for decades which means less money for schools: https://wirepoints.org/144-billion-and-counting-new-report-shows-illinois-pension-debts-up-again-wirepoints/
Illinois refuses to fix what they broke. Handing more power to unions isn’t Worker’s Rights! VOTE NO.
3)
Unit 5 tax increase:
The Pantagraph reported a group has been formed to get the Unit 5 property tax increase passed: https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/unit-5-referendum-supporters-launch-committee/article_ac50709e-3dae-11ed-a4a9-b396e863cc81.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share
This excerpt says all you need to know:
The General Manager of WGLT is the main advocate for raising your property taxes! He is joined by the COO of the YMCA, a Farnworth Executive, a State Farm employee, two union guys, and an ISU employee.
Meanwhile Unit 5 hasn’t explained why salaries increased more than 7% in 2020 while students decreased: https://blnnews.com/2022/04/01/unit-5-did-esser-funds-inflate-salaries/
Unit 5 hired 47 “trainers” under the direction of DEI Director Dr. Shelvin. We don’t know what these “trainers” did because Unit 5 claims they didn’t keep the Zoom training session(s). https://blnnews.com/2022/03/11/unit-5-dr-shelvin-and-the-cost-of-equity/
We don’t know what Dr. Shelvin does either except make $98,000 last school year. (See above story)
Dr. Shelvin cackled in this video about what Unit 5 lets her do other districts don’t: https://blnnews.com/2022/06/16/unit-5-is-woke-wake-up-parents/
Unit 5 adopted the vulgar Comprehensive Federal Sexual Education standards for 8th and 9th grades. Most Illinois School Districts opted out of teaching the standards. https://blnnews.com/2022/04/27/the-effects-of-sb-818-sexualizing-your-kids/
If the referendum fails:
I predict Unit 5 will say they are forced to make draconian cuts to scare parents. Next April they will put a modified referendum on the ballot when few people vote. Stay tuned. I wonder how many Unit 5 employees live or don’t live in the District?
Voters deserve answers, you aren’t getting them. Property taxes are already ridiculous!
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Good breakdown.
WHAT DID UNIT 5 DO WITH $22,000,000 OF OUR TAX DOLLARS? THEY RECEIVED OUR $22,000,000 IN 2021 FROM THE FED GOVERNMENT IN ESSER FUNDS. They say they could only spend it on certain things. Turns out that’s not true. They say this to give themselves cover. They don’t get another dollar until they tell us where they spent the $22,000,000.
My property valuation went up 6% this year, it goes up every year. They are getting a 6% increase without any rate increase!!
Exactly! And RC isn’t in this for the kids, he’s in this for Koos – Because of the way the TIFs are set up, if the covered properties’ Unit 5 taxes go up, that money actually goes to the Town.
4. Vote NO on all of the above and move out of IL ASAP.
No joke.
Unit 5 is not a serious educational organization.
They bloviate, they obfuscate, they hide programs and training and they lie about student performance.
They run off in unproductive directions like DEI promising student performance improvement will happen someday. (And they better not use the pandemic school year as their baseline. )
They promise better performance IF they get more money when we all know they’re just using that as an excuse to buy time until the next plea for money.
Does the Amendment 1 that is on the ballot need 60% to pass or simple majority?
60%
As long as voters vote no then I will be happy.