Instead of raising the tax levy, lets cut back on the salaries for the overpaid staff members.

To District 211 Administrators and Staff, here are some simple tips for managing your budget: 1. Start using zero-based budgeting. 2. Start slashing expenses. 3. Reduce your bloated salaries. 4. Leave your entitlement mentality at the door. 5. Accept the reality that citizen-taxpayers are tired of government and public agency excesses ... and are ready, willing, and able to fight you on points 1 - 4 (above).

The harsh reality is many people in the private sector are feeling the pain of having to cut costs and do without "nice to haves." In case you haven't noticed, the "Take Back Wall Street" initiative is a mild precursor of what's to come if big business and bloated government continue on their current paths.

The past 3-4 years of financial challenges can be blamed on many wrong doers, but if you cut to the center of the problem, people don't care about bank failure or bailout when compared to what impacts you on the ground floor: rising fuel, cost of food, interest rates, and of course sky rocketing taxes in combination with salary reductions, freezes of layoffs. The formula of spend more + earn less = disaster. People moderating their expenses are constantly pressured to spend more and such factors can lead to home loss, marital and financial stress,etc., and are AT THE CORE of every sad story around us.

D211 decision to look into tax increase will never end as that is their way to combat inflation, however so are we, and that means that some homeowners finding themselves on the financial edge will be tipped over, and further foreclosures will follow. However, government bodies have a unique protection in place which gives them leverage - if homeowners default on their taxes, the mortgage companies will pay them to prevent loss of the asset. (yes, a bailout) Some lawyer buys the asset at a tax auction and the bank will lose too, so banks prevent it and governments know it. We need to be present at these meetings to encourage alternative means to balance tax increases with D211 budget needs.

Based on the salary data I have been able to find, D-211 salaries are the 3rd highest in the state and significantly higher than those of surrounding school districts. Property values are tanking. How can they possibly justify yet another tax increase? I don't believe in bashing public employees just because private sector companies screw their employees (while their top executives collect plenty). Teachers deserve a decent salary - but D-211 employees are already the highest paid in the area. Enough already.

I just [paid my second installment on property taxes and the overall cost from last year is up 20.8% My property value continues to decline. The real estate market is at an all time low; so I can't sell and get out. I am stuck. Social Security payments haven't increased in years, pension payments haven't increased either. I have to budget in a way that it hurts my actual life and existence. I respect the teachers in D -211, they are doing a great job. But they too must bite the bullet if they want to be paid at all.

Time to cut the salaries of these overpaid teachers who work 9 1/2 months. Also, let's scale back on their pensions so a soon to be retired football coach, doesn't get 75 - 80% of his 140k salary at 105k per year when most private companies do not have pensions or pay around 30%.

D211 is out of control and maybe they should look at all the illegal aliens that are attending school and not paying any taxes.

The labor compensation packages simply HAVE to be brought in line with the averages in the private sector, If we balance this once, and peg the salaries to that in the private sector, we will rarely have to ever have these problems. After all, these are public service employees and their jobs are no more special than anybody elses, it is just they actually think so.

65-70% of a typical man-year, right??

Or open the positions up to the free market like any other organization, where we all have to perform at a given level for a market-price wage, and can be replaced when the equation isn't working.

Being a single mom, I don't understand how those individuals running the school district don't know math. As a single mom, we have to make a budget and stick to it. Were you people sleeping during your math courses and paid to get out of college? Because I don't understand the stupidity of getting into debt like you have. Has the taxpayer not been beat up enough you want to add to it? Stop paying the unions to run the schools and perhaps you would have more money without always coming after mine!

Pretty soon this Palatine citizen will be applying for welfare because all my money from my check will be going to the schools, illegals healthcare and schooling along with housing and food, welfare etc. Once you bust the private sector who will you go to for money to pay for all of you?

It's time for the people of this country to wake up!!!! "We the People" means nothing to the corrupt lawyers and politicians running this country--it's "what can we take" from the people. The elite, even at the local level, will continue to take it from us. Unless we rise up and revolt against them. It's the only way!

People need to understand the truth about the scam the Illinois teachers union has been perpetrating on the taxpayer. An article written in "Champion News" last April, 2011 shows how the claims and radio ad campaign from the union that "teachers contribute 10% to their pensions" is false. Over 60% PAY NOTHING! The law allows the local school boards to pay it for them. Hence, the contributions come directly from the taxpayers, not the teachers. Some of the details from the articles at "Champion News" have been moved on their website and the links are broken. But, I downloaded them at the time and you can download the article at http://www.freeusfromobama.com/picts/championnewslist.pdf. Then download the list of all Illinois school districts and see if your teachers are paying anything. You'll be floored. You can download it at http://www.freeusfromobama.com/picts/championnewslist2.pdf. Download them. Pass them around and go to your school board meetings with torches and pitchforks.

I see solutions to two problems that offer results. I suggested the first when I ran for the D211 school board last spring & specifically to the Daily Herald but it was ignored. The two solutions w/ immediate effect are:

1) D211 retires/loses approximately 100 employees/year. More than two thousand applicants apply for these positions-from good schools, with solid resumes. The starting pay for a teacher is ~$50K per year. Now in business when the labor pool is this over-supplied, the starting pay would be reduced yet the quality of the employee would not. Base on my numbers, if the starting pay for a NEW teacher was dropped to $35K the district could save $1.5 million annually. Over ten years, this would save of $15 million. I know many college grads that would love a starting job at $35K per + great benefits.

2) D211 has more than 100,000 voters-over the last ten years of elections, the average 211 turnout is between 7k to 9k. With margins between the top candidates of somewhere around 500-700 votes, any "group" can directly influence the results to their benefit. The solution: people need to get out and vote, not just 1 in 15 or our taxes will continue to rise and the administrators at D211 will continue to be tied to increases in our taxes, based upon contracts. The media also needs to openly discuss the crazy property tax system in place today-levy goes up, assessment down, rate up, smaller pool & home values decrease w/o equal decreases in the gov budgets???

Hmmm. Maybe that is why they don't want the meetings videotaped.

These clowns at 211 are out of control!!! Let's continue on this journey to see how high we can make everyone's school district taxes. After all, we currently only have 8 administrators and 10 teachers in 211 making over $150,000 per year. We need more than that since only two of the 211 schools cracked the Top 50 in the state in this weeks survey. The district must be in a decline!!!

And how did we they get there? By your taxes and my taxes paying for their master's programs, doctorate programs, 20+, 40+, chaperoning events at $100 per pop, keeping score at football and basketball games at $100 per pop, etc, etc, etc. These people do nothing for free yet we have to continually keep paying them because they belong to a union. You want to see where your tax dollars are going? Look at this website. Scroll down to Palatine and Cook and loosen your jaw muscles because when you see these salaries, your jaws will drop.

This is outrageous!!!!!

http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/5679128-418/illinois-teacher-and-administrator-salaries.html?appSession=462248960946334