Why won’t the IEA take a position on the pension cost shift?
Many IEA members were surprised when they read here that the IEA has taken no position on Governor Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension cost shift.
IEA has not yet taken a position on the proposal. On one hand, if implemented, a cost shift could ensure that the employer’s pension contribution, which is currently the state’s and has often been ignored, would actually be paid.
On the other, if not done in the right way, passing the state’s costs to local districts would place additional financial hardships on districts, many of which are already suffering due to underfunding by the state. And, a shift could increase the already wide funding gap between wealthy and poor districts
