For many Illinoisans it is increasingly difficult not not to get upset when thinking about school districts, where property taxes go and who benefits the most. That's especially true if the numbers reflect people in the neighborhood - or in most cases, people who no longer live in the area because they can afford nicer locations.
It's that in-my-backyard revelation that may be causing a stir about Adam Andrzejewski's newest project. His organization - Open The Books - has posted online a "heated" map of government school system pensioners that get more than $100,000 from taxpayers.
For example, in the blue collar Bremen Township School District 228, a number of names turned up that are retired now, living comfortably off business and home owners' hard-earned tax dollars. We went to Open The Books map and searched "Bremen." Here's the first five pensioners listed, the amount they get each month, how much they could get in total, and how much they paid into the pension system.
For instance, Patricia A. Adams worked at Bremen CHSD 228 and retired June 1, 2002. She gets a check from Illinois taxpayers for $8,448.80 each month. Her total wage amount is $1,578,937.04 and she paid in over her career $19, 818.72. Not only was she paid an income during her working years, she paid part of that - nearly $20,000 - into the pension fund, and she could get back almost $1,600,000.
Here's four more -
Mary Louis Berry appears to not have paid in anything towards her pension before she retired in 2002, but she could still get $1 and a half million in pension wages.
And Susan Bonner, who retired last year, can expect over $2.4 million in retirement benefits.
All from a school district that has been struggling financially for years, demanding more and more tax revenue, while providing schools for a low to middle income constituency.
To find out how your district's employees can expect to retire - find your area on "Open The Books $100,000 Educator Pension Map.
