Teachers in the district earn on average $105,494, according to 2012 data — the most recent available from the State Board of Education.
Teachers, however, say the offer is so low that take-home pay will actually go down. Union spokesman Mike Palmquist tells us: “Under the board’s current offer, the take-home pay of nearly every teacher would be reduced. The teachers association is interested in keeping pace with comparable districts in order to attract and retain quality faculty.”
That’s been a theme from the union — that the excellent education kids receive will suffer dramatically if the school board has its way. The schools won’t be competitive enough to attract quality teachers and maintain programs.
We find that hard to believe. A teacher opening in Hinsdale draws, literally, hundreds of applicants. The district has the luxury of choosing among accomplished applicants from dozens of top-notch schools. A one-year frozen tax levy in one of the state’s wealthiest districts is not going to derail educational excellence.
Keep in mind: Only a small fraction of the teachers threatening to strike actually live in the district — fewer than 50 of the nearly 400, according to Skoda. So of course the teachers want the levy to go up. They don’t pay taxes into it.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-06-16/opinion/ct-edit-hinsdale-teachers-strike-edit-0616-jm-20140616_1_illinois-education-association-substitute-teachers-hinsdale-high-school
the take-home pay of nearly every teacher would be reduced”
Well then they ought to support lower taxes. Problem solved.
A lot of the teachers probably don’t live there because it’s so pricey.
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I grew up in Hinsdale and went to Hinsdale High. Any teacher anywhere would kill to get a job there….beautiful, safe, riot-free town.
Wikipedia: “Hinsdale is listed in the top 1% of wealthiest towns in Illinois, and is known locally for its beautiful residences and teardown culture, of which new rebuilds have taken 30% of homes in the village. The town has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown, and is a 22-minute express train ride to downtown Chicago on the Burlington Northern train line.”
Perhaps these well-paid teachers think that only the wealthy pay taxes from which their salaries are paid. But the shopkeepers and accountants and others with mid-to-low level incomes will, as usual, bear the brunt.
Also, the quality of education is sinking…Hinsdale High is now ranked 7th in the state, a decade ago it was closer to the top. When the teachers get it back up there, they can talk about a raise. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/illinois/districts/hinsdale-twp-hsd-86/hinsdale-central-high-school-6781
Is that 105 thousand of actual salary or does that include the other compensation factors?