Just because the money is there does not mean it should be spent!!!! It is foolish to think that you should increase the salary of the remaining staff so that you can absorb the headroom created by retiring teachers.

That money belongs to the taxpayers and not to the teachers union or to the School Board. If the School Board gives an inch on this one there will be a blood letting via the ballot box. No current member of the Board will be re-elected and you will be a disgrace in your community.

In addition, by not getting replacement teachers in place and by even mentioning that the students may not start as scheduled, the Board is showing weakness. The teachers union is a hardball playing organization being coached by the toughest union advisors in the country.

It should not be a matter of resources!

The school can not afford to pay more and the teachers do not deserve more. It is that simple. This is the wrong time.

Bob's correct. The district does not have to pay more than they currently are offering to attract and retain staff. Turnover is extremely low. When there are openings hundreds of qualified applications are received. The union will say otherwise but the facts are the facts. The board should lock the union out. Maybe a few days without pay and benefits will bring them to their senses.

The union claims we can afford this because 25% of the teachers, those at the top of the pay scale, will retire within 5 years. That is an irresponsible assumption. Pension reform could very likely raise the retirement age significantly (there is a proposal now to raise the age from 55 to 67). Who knows what will happen over 5 years?

The more the union talks, the more they demonstrate that this whole fight is about boosting final pay and hence, pensions. It isn't about attracting and retaining quality teachers, or even about helping newer teachers who should be paid more if they are talented and energetic.

We should throw out the union and revamp that pay scale that simply rewards longevity without regard to performance.

There is one item which no one has discussed, which is somewhat concerning to me. If House Speaker Mike Madigan gets his way with the "pension shift," Lake Forest and LAke Bluff taxpayers will realize an increased tax burden, whereby we will need to pick up the cost of additional pension dollars which Madigan wants to "shift" from the state budget back to the local school board tax paying bodies. I have seen noone, neither the board nor local blogs, papers, etc., address this very expensive possibility or how it might effect the bottom line for taxpayers in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. How would this/has it figured into the calculations for the proposed "deals" from both the school board and teacher's union? It seems to me that the board's current proposal is quite generous.

Sadly, the teachers appear to live in a universe that is not connected with the world of reality. Compensation is not a function of how much money is available, pay level is a market, competency, contribution and accountability driven process. It is a silly and naïve notion that pay levels are arrived at by resource availability. If that were the case, some districts would be paying 50% of current compensation.
It is also a fact that the resources come not from the customers as in a commercial enterprise, but from all the taxpayers in a taxing district. In the world of reality, the taxpayers are suffering from over taxation fatigue and are maxed out, literally and figuratively.
Teachers, your case has been heard and rejected. Now it is time to stop the game of chicken with our children and take the generous offer and get on with your job of educating the students. Otherwise, step aside and allow the replacement teachers to gladly take your position.

Al Boese
Lake Bluff, IL

If the cost of these bloated pensions are actually passed along to the school districts, it will reel in the out of control pay packages in a hurry. In fact, it will probably bankrupt a large number of communities. In the ones that don't go bankrupt, you will see a renegotiation of the pensions. Welcome to the real world.

In the real world, we have a 401k and not a pension. In the real world, your employer contributes a fraction of what the employee does. In the real world, employers can unilaterally reduce or discontinue their contributions. In the real world, there is no such thing as an automatic pay increase, there are only merit increases. In the real world, if the employee doesn't like it, they are free to seek other employment.

Our children can learn from this "teachable moment."
1. Select people with a solid grasp of reality to be your representatives-they won't embarrass you
2. If you are underappreciated/underpaid at work go elsewhere
3. No one should be granted a lifetime job after 4 years of experience.
4. Everyone is replaceable.

In addition to Joe's points: that resources are finite; that neither the taxpayer nor the universe owes them a living; and that being a teacher, fireman, policeman, or school administrator does not exempt one from marketplace realities. Unless, of course, the"responsible government authority" uses other peoples' money to buy themselves a bit of peace. A different lesson, to be sure, and one not yet learned by a majority of the voting population of Illinois.

According to the ISBE there's about 60,000 certified teachers in the 'pipeline'. So the chances are good that if the teachers want to go on strike, that there will be quite a few qualified candidates available to replace them.

Teachers should not be given raises en masse ("step" or "lane changes"), but rather considered for a raise IF they've met and exceeded their measuring metrics. Those metrics should be targeted to the class level and fair to all involved, but just like in the private sector, no raises should be guaranteed. There should be a pool of money made available, and all raises should come out of that pool until it's exhausted. Some might get raises, some might not even if they 'qualified' to be considered. Some might get more than others.

And as salaries go up, the contribution by the District/Taxpayers for pensions/health care/benefits should go down. The contribution should approach and reach zero as the salary goes up - the reason for this is to recognize the fact that there's a social contract between the Public and the Teachers - teachers give up some earning power in exchange for pensions/benefits. So it follows that as their earnings go up, the pensions/benefits must naturally go down.

Just ot be clear, the teachers union in Lake Forest is headed by Charles Gress. He knocks down a salary of just under $150k per year. When he retires, he will be receiving a six figure pension. Most would consider this to be a very generous compensation package for a high school teacher.

These teachers all ride Barack Hussein Obamas tail. They (public employees and obama) are why our country is so messed up. Our country and town is headed down the wrong road if we dont hold firm on the contracts and vote obama out of office.

Who wouldnt agree unless you have a brain the size of a pea but thats a different story. As a parent with a child at Lake Forest High School word is getting around that Matt Ferrari a great English teacher and spokesperson for the teachers union left Lf and went to Highland Park because he was outraged in the teachers greedyness. This man should be praised as a hero in this town. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he embarks on a new journey from standing up in what he believes in. Matt Ferrari is a true American Patriot who wants to preserve the great country of America unlike the other greedy slimy teachers.

Nice spin Lynette. The truth is he left because he was tired of this. LOL. You obviously do not know Matt. Because if you did you would recall that last year he was attacked by somebody on here.

Dear LFHS English Department,
Obviously, LP was not educated at LFHS. Seriously, one of you should edit her rant in red pen!

Coming from a family of educators, I almost always side with teachers; HOWEVER, the greediness exhibited reeks of the highest level of entitlement. I support the board in holding to their offer and not one penny more! Something not often showcased is that the LFHS teachers actually teach 20% less time than their counterparts in other surrounding communities. If they taught 5 periods (instead of 4) - we could reduce the ever-growing class sizes or perhaps not have to backfill one of the retiring teachers. In addition to the 20% less teaching expectations, many pull in an additional $75-100 per hour (tax-free) in tutoring "side jobs". Anyone that has been at LFHS knows that by 3:15 - it is a ghost town- and many of the staff are tutoring off-site. Do the math - if they tutor just six additional hours a week, they still have shorter work day than the average American worker and will pocket anywhere from $450-600 (cash) additional earnings per week. ITheir employment at LFHS allows them access to students that need tutoring - and families that are willing to pay for it. Add in the very generous salary adjustments for clubs, coaching, etc and I have faith the teachers will realize their "grass" is already pretty darn green. And that doesn't include the generous vacation time off for Spring Break, Winter Break and Summer. I'm actually surprised that more teachers haven't rebelled against the Union Leadership - they are certainly not acting in their best interests.

Truly the teachers at Lake Forest are not as good as they think they are. My child has moved to another state to train for a sport and now attends a new high school. I have been swamped with emails from their staff. Emails from the school nurse, progress reports from teachers, daily happenings, information about parent nights. She is respected as an elite athlete, and does not have to take physical education.
They might not have smart boards but the school has even adjusted her course schedule to suit her needs without any prompting, placing her in a different level class. I have had more positive conversations with the new school than all the years she attended LFHS. Surprisingly, her honors English class does not have a weekly "bring a book to read" friday, while the teacher leaves for most of the period. I have had some positive experiences at LFHS with my kids, but now that I have something to compare, they are not as good as they think they are. I also might mention her total book buy amount....zero...that's right. You don't buy books. What a concept at a public school.