By: Diane Benjamin
Don’t forget the 1st installment of property taxes are due soon!
Why does Unit 5 teacher and County Board member Corey Beirne think the current teachers contract is the best he’s ever seen?
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Keep reading and you will find out!
This intrigued me, it was posted on X:
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Teachers don’t get Social Security when they retire so they aren’t paying into it. While you get money taken out of your checks for Social Security and Medicare totalling 7.65% of your earnings (15.3% if you are self employed), nothing comes out of teacher’s checks except maybe Medicare.
Next consider the meager amount you will receive from Social Security when you retire verses a pension teachers get when they retire. Within 10 years payments will be equal to what they made while working. (3% increase every year even if your investments don’t earn 3%)
Are local teachers paying the required 9%?
I asked Unit5’s lawyer/FOIA officer, Curt Richardson, on Thursday some questions and didn’t get a response.
See the Unit 5 2024-2025 Total Compensation Report here: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1758291452/unit5org/j9jreonccucjcwey7it5/FY25CertifiedSalaryReport.pdf
Snippet:
I hope you can read the column titles.
None of those columns are paycheck deductions, 3 columns on the right are all additional income.
What is a Retirement Enhancement?
For that I looked at the union contract: https://ufea.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/UFEA-Contract-2023-2027-complete.pdf
Instead of funding their own pension with 9% of their salary, taxpayers get the bill for 6%. Since Unit 5 gets income from property taxes, where do you think they get the 6% so teachers don’t have to pay 9%? Hint: HIGH property tax bills.
I’m sure Unit 5 will say that’s how they attract teachers. When the school board consists of union endorsed members, you think negotiations have anyone but the union in mind? Like taxpayers?
Excerpt from the contract: (PDF page 29)
Unless you work for government, you will never retire with the money teachers do. You do get to fund their retirement and they don’t return the favor..
Go back to PDF page 29 of the union contract if you think this isn’t about pensions.
I don’t see the same in the District 87 Teachers Union Contract: https://bea87.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/BEA-CBA-2024-2028.pdf
How much are subsidized pensions costing Unit 5 taxpayers via higher property tax bills?
$4,787,514
See the other columns to the right of Retirement Enhancements: Other Benefits & Other Compensation.
What are those? Since Curt Richardson hasn’t answered my questions, I don’t entirely know. At least part is employee health insurance Unit 5 pays for. From the union contract:
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None of the numbers total $765 x 12 months. “Other Benefits” comes closest. What is Other Compensation? Good question that I don’t have a good answer to. I know teachers get extra pay for after school activities, but almost every teacher gots some amount of “Other Compensation”. Look at the full report, some got $15,000 or MORE.
No wonder Corey Beirne thinks the contract negotiated in 2023 is the best he’s ever seen! It sells out property owners to save teachers 6% of their salary – including him.
Re-elect Corey Beirne? He will sell you out on the County Board just like Unit 5 did. Don’t forget Beirne celebrated the four year contract.
Some leaders are focused on asking more from taxpayers, and for many of us it feels like it’s never enough. When people raise concerns, they may be dismissed as “ill informed” or “doom shouters,” which doesn’t help foster constructive dialogue. Rather than labeling constituents, elected representatives should work to represent all of their constituents, including those who disagree. As we continue to shoulder higher costs, it’s understandable that many want their concerns taken seriously. Be sure to vote district 10!