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* Cleaning up the mess created by Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of funding for regional superintendent salaries is not going to be easy. The governor wants to pay them using funds from the corporate personal property replacement tax. He says that’s the way to do it because many of the tax proceeds already go to local schools. But the cash also goes to local governments, and some of them are not happy in the least about this idea…
Rock Island County chairman Jim Bohnsack said the county simply doesn’t have the funds that could be required under draft legislation to pay the salaries of the Rock Island County regional superintendent and the assistant superintendent. […]
Ms. Kraft said other locally elected officials are paid through PPRT and the governor believes regional superintendents also should be paid through these funds. She said if the draft legislation would be approved, possibly during the fall veto session, it likely would fall to Rock Island County to pay for the regional superintendent and assistant salaries.
Mr. Bohnsack said the county has “no extra money” for these costs. He said the county had a $3.2 million deficit last year and made enough cuts — including eliminating 19 positions — to balance the budget with $2,300 in reserves. He said the county received $2.25 million this year in PPRT and those funds are added to the general fund. He said the majority of PPRT goes toward the justice system, including the salaries of correctional officers.
* And Sangamon County is already kicking into the kitty…
The governor says regional superintendents are local elected officials and should be paid with local funds.
[Sangamon County Regional Superintendent Jeff Vose] said Sangamon County already provides about $230,000 for employees’ salaries and provides office space.
“The county board is already doing its share,” he said.
* Some regional superintendents are now saying that instead of trying to work out a deal with Quinn, the General Assembly ought to just override his veto this October…
[Debbie Niederhauser, regional superintendent of schools for Adams and Pike counties] said the notion of using PPRT to pay regional superintendents “is not what we’re proposing.”
She said: “He (Quinn) thinks we should be paid regionally even though we do the state’s work and we’re state employees.”
Niederhauser said she would like to see the Legislature restore the salaries by simply overriding the governor’s veto. But there is no assurance that may happen.
* Some legislators are also talking override…
But state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said he would oppose such a move [to pay the superintendents out of the personal property tax replacement fund] because some local school districts, including those in Tuscola and Mahomet, get money from the tax.
“It’s the principle that if you start moving $10 or $12 million today, next year it will be $43 million and in three years it would be $100 million,” Rose said.
Calling it “the stupidest veto ever,” Rose said he would vote to override the veto and restore state funding for the offices.
“He made a mistake; let’s put it back in,” Rose said. “To their credit,, the regional superintendents said that despite the governor’s ridiculous veto that jeopardizes kids coming back to school, they would work until the fall veto session. That’s very statesman-like. They get credit in my book.”
An override looks to be the easiest way around this craziness.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 9:52 am
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Previous Post: From the department of: What the heck?
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Were I an ROE Superintendent, I would seek override support from a bi-partisan group of legislators. Failing to get public support of enough legislators to override, I would walk out of the job. As it stands now, these people, and their departments, live in an uncertainty created and owned by Quinn. The leadership of both parties of both houses should assume leadership on this issue. Quinn is clearly out of his depth.
Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 10:20 am
Despite their mantra about “less government,” Chapin Rose reminds us we can always count on Republican legislators to defend the status quo when it comes to our nearly 7,000 units of local gov’t.
Comment by reformer Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 10:34 am
reformer — If you want to eliminate a unit of government, fine. But that should be the call of someone besides the governor just deciding to zero fund said unit of government. That’s just stupid.
Comment by OneMan Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 10:41 am
OneMan hits the nail on the head. Quinn has unilaterally, and without forethought jeopardized the school year. Only the good citizenship of the ROE Superintendents will allow this year to start without problems.
Let’s remove many of those overlapping units of government, but let’s do so in a reasonable manner. Quinn never exhibits any reasonableness. He governs without a clue.
Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 10:53 am
I agree with the Gov on this. Many of these superintendents and assistant superintendent salaries are off the charts compared to the salaries paid other conmporable positions in the ocmmunity. It appears many counties bump these up as well since they do not have to fund them. Take the recent story about the 320,000 a year one up north.
To insure these positions are treated with fiscal responsibility the communities which elect and determine raises above the statutory set amounts should pay for them.
Comment by Ghost Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 11:59 am
The way this was handled is simply awful.
To tell an elected official AFTER being elected that he or she won’t be paid at all, but is expected to work is almost cruel.
If the governor wants to eliminate the service, he should get the law changed and not elect people at the next election.
Also, these aren’t the salaries that are off the chart. Those are local superintendents. These guys don’t make nearly that much.
The intent to trim costs is good, but the way this was done is unfair to these people. I can’t believe they’re still working.
Comment by Common Decency Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 12:19 pm
Do we really need these ROE Suoerintendents? Do we really need 7000 units of government?
Comment by mokenavince Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 12:34 pm
- mokenavince - Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 12:34 pm:
“Do we really need these ROE Suoerintendents? Do we really need 7000 units of government?”
This really is not the issue here…
Comment by Cincinnatus Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 12:42 pm
Yes. Very much.
Comment by answer Friday, Aug 5, 11 @ 12:43 pm