No resolution in sight
Thursday, Aug 4, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn created a mess - or an opportunity, depending upon your perspective - when he vetoed the salaries for regional superintendents of schools out of the budget. None of them have been paid since. According to Illinois Statehouse News, the officials were told by the governor’s office yesterday to expect an update in a week about how they might be paid this month. But the plan so far doesn’t look like paychecks will go out before October…
Kelly Kraft, Quinn’s budget spokeswoman, said lawmakers and regional superintendents have been discussing adding the $11 million to the budget.
“We are working on draft legislation to restore the payroll appropriation for the regional superintendents, and shift the obligation to Personal Property Replacement Tax,” said Kraft. “PPRT funds local elected official stipends, and we feel regional superintendents, which are locally elected, should be funded in the same manner.”
But to change how the regional superintendents are paid would take a vote from the General Assembly. Lawmakers are not scheduled to be back at the Capitol until late October.
Somebody really should’ve thought ahead before that certain somebody vetoed $11 million out of the state budget.
* The Tribune editorial board says the state should just let them all resign and deal with it later…
Robert Daiber, president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, warns that some schools may not open on time unless his fellow officeholders stay on the job. He told us that three assistant superintendents have resigned, “and we’ve got a lot of superintendents contemplating how long they’ll be able to work without compensation. If we have an exodus of people leaving, we’re going to have issues.”
But state schools Superintendent Christopher Koch doesn’t sound worried. “We’ve had regional offices empty before, and we’ve managed to deal with it,” he told us.
In other words: Schools will open. Red tape can be sliced in other ways. The state can deal with it.
Daiber and his fellow superintendents may hope they can spook the Legislature into restoring money for their offices in the fall. Or that the state Board of Education will mount a herculean effort to shuffle money their way.
Instead, let’s prepare for other offices to take the work.
Regardless of what the state board or the Tribune says, there are clear statutory obligations here. And these are, after all, duly elected officials.
- Nice kid - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 6:59 am:
Voters elected these regional superintendents to do a paid job. This is so appalling, and I am saddened that PQ would do this to someone. They should have sued by now.
- Nice kid - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 7:01 am:
And, once again, the Tribune talks out of it’s backside. Shocking. The “guardian” of Chicago and Illinois should get it’s own house in order before it casts stones.
- Nice kid - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 7:06 am:
Maybe the bankruptcy court should abruptly take away the Tribune editorial board’s salaries as a condition of it’s emergence from bankruptcy. That scenario seems more appropriate than the one PQ created.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 8:42 am:
that’s awesome.
Implement a policy.
THEN go about the task of writing the legislation.
Boy, I sure hope it passes.
Or is the next “to do” to make up the roll call?
- Sportsman - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 9:13 am:
PQ always says the phrase “everybody in, nobody left out.” He just doesn’t practice the meaning of the phrase. Then again, he was just trying to be relevant to the budgeting process and a big veto to the regional superintendent salaries was the best he could come up with, only to have to turn around and try to figure out how to pay these people.
- Its Just Me - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 9:19 am:
Yeah, red tape can be cut, but who will take the blame when an unqualified teacher ends up having a class of kids, ends up doing something wrong, and at that point us union protected? Maybe that red tape was there for a reason.
- Mark Buerhle - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 9:44 am:
On the motorcycle bill, some thought the better approach was to compel the municipalities to adjust the lights to a more sensitive setting, but to no avail. Tough issue, not sure there’s an easy solution.
- Mark Buerhle - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 9:49 am:
sorry, rich, i meant to post that to a different entry.
- Judgment Day - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 9:56 am:
Obviously, you’ve never had to deal with the “Black Hole” that is otherwise known as the “Regional Superintendent of Schools” in most Counties/regions.
If I had to lose critical documents FOREVER, never to be found again, I’d route the documents to the good offices of the Regional Superintendent of Schools - once in the door, those documents are gone.
Had the opportunity (very recently) to try and assist a taxpayer trying to establish their high school location (boundary property between 2 districts, had special arrangements made in the early 1980’s between the 2 districts under the direction of the then Regional Superintendent of Schools).
Made the terrible error of sending the poor, unfortunate taxpayer over to talk to those people
- fortunately this County has a really good County Clerk and County Treasurer who were actually able to help out (not their responsibility to do, but it’s a taxpayer), because those people in the Regional Superintendent of Schools were totally worthless.
Pat Quinn was absolutely correct to veto the salaries for Regional Superintendents of Schools out of the budget. Those positions are simply highly paid “make work” patronage positions at the local government level that can simply no longer be afforded.
I mean, when you are paid at their level and you don’t know or have any useful information about where the boundaries are for the different school districts located within your “service area”, well, that’s way beyond sad.
- zatoichi - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 10:42 am:
It is always best to fire the gun then move the target after you see what the bullet has done, and eventually plan what should have happened once you remember the rules.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 10:49 am:
While I believe the Office of Regional Superintendent of Schools should be eliminated, until it is their salaries shouldn’t have been slashed, Quinn’s good at punishing others while rewarding friends and contributors.
- Son of a Centrist - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 11:12 am:
This is why people think we are crazy in Illinois.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 11:28 am:
He is trying…What did you want? Leadership?
He was elected because people thought he was a nice guy and because the GOP had a circling firing squad for a primary. Lets not expect too much… there is still 3 and a half years left.
- Cincinnatus - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 12:11 pm:
Pat Quinn, Incompetence Prime.
- the Patriot - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 1:13 pm:
Man, am I glad that nutjob Brady didn’t get elected. He would have made livable cuts in every department. At least with Quinn, we know he is acting in a carful and well planned…squirrel!
- wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 4, 11 @ 11:49 pm:
–Pat Quinn, Incompetence Prime.–
Put Cincy on the list of those who believe Illinois need all their layers of government. With their expenses. And their salaries. And their, wait, wait, here it comes, pensions.
Fewer units couldn’t do those jobs, right?
I sleep well at night knowing that the Mosquito Abatement District is on the wall guarding against infestation of mosquitoes. Or is it Commies? That would be better.
- Cincinnatus - Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 8:22 am:
wordslinger,
Sure we can use less layers of government. And the Regionals may be a good place to start. However, there is a law that requires them, and tasks that much be performed to start the school year.
Incompetence Prime short-circuits the law, and jeopardizes the school year. Unlike you, I think he should have considered his actions first, then recommended changes that then pass the GA. He has invited chaos, and it is only because the Regionals are willing to work without pay that the school year will start on time.
- Retired Teacher - Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 8:34 am:
I agree that Quinn doesn’t make sense a lot of the time, but he’s less scary than Brady would have been. My real ire goes out to the Tribune Editorial board. For a paper that went bankrupt to give anyone lessons in fiscal responsibility requires a lot of chutzpah (and I can pronounce it right!). My favorite though was after they griped about losing jobs in Illinois, I called to cancel my subscription and realized that their call center was outsourced out of the country. Do as I say, not as I do. They are amazing hypocrites!