Politics & Government

Illinois Policy Institute Hosts Debate Tuesday Night on Teacher Pension Reform

Debate will start at 7 p.m. Aug. 14, at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake.

 

The Illinois Policy Institute will host a debate Tuesday regarding teacher pension reform.

The debate is free and open to the public. It starts at 7 p.m., Aug. 14, at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake according to a press release issued by Diana Sroka Rickert.

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The evening's discussion will explore who should pay the employers' share of teacher pension costs: Local school districts or the state?

Panelists will include: Mike Sayre on behalf of the Illinois Education Association; District 47 school board president Jeff Mason; and Rickert, of the Illinois Policy Institute. 

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In June, the question of who should pay the "employer" portion of teachers pensions prompted legislative discussion regarding pension reform to come to a standstill, the press release stated.

The results of a new poll commissioned by the Illinois Policy Institute finds that public opinion on this issue is mixed, not only across the state, but across the political spectrum. 

The poll found nearly half the likely voters in Illinois oppose asking school districts to pay the employer share of teachers' pension costs, while the other half of likely voters are split between indecision and favoring this proposal. 

"The Institute's poll indicates that the public needs more information on how local pension accountability would affect schools and taxpayers, and that they're confused about who owns this policy in the statehouse," said Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute.

"To improve understanding of this issue, the Institute is launching this statewide tour to engage stakeholders and move toward consensus on much-needed pension relief."

In addition the stop in Crystal Lake, the Illinois Policy Institute is planning debate stops in Rockford, Skokie and Kane County. Debates already have been held in Quincy, Carbondale, Lemont Springfield and Decatur.  

Full results of the poll are available online here: http://illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=4932
The public can register for the event here: http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=4929

Information submitted by the Illinois Policy Institute. The Illinois Policy Institute is a nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to making our state a beacon for liberty and prosperity for all citizens.

As a leading voice for economic liberty and government accountability, the Institute engages policy makers, opinion leaders and citizens on the state and local level by promoting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois.

More information about the institute is available at: www.illinoispolicy.org.


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