Lake County Gazette

Republican House candidate Ken Idstein worries the worse might be yet to come in the state’s growing “pension spiking” crisis.

“The practice of pension spiking has created additional burdens on already overburdened taxpayers,” Idstein told the Lake County Gazette. "As a consequence of skyrocketing taxes, taxpayers are fleeing this state in droves, which sticks those who remain with even more tax hikes to make up for the lost tax revenue.”

A recent Illinois News Network (INN) investigation found that some public school systems continue to increase pay for retiring educators by as much as 20 percent, well over the cap established by a 2005 state law that imposes stiff penalties when the spike tops 6 percent. That cap was recently dropped to 3 percent. 

Rep. Sam Yingling

“The ‘penalty’ change from 6 percent to 3 percent is not enough if nearly one-third of Illinois school districts are still spiking pensions,” Idstein said. “If these practices do not cease, then it is likely that the exodus that Illinois is experiencing will continue.”

Compounding the problem all the more is the reality that much of the most recent spiking took place during a period when the state operated with no budget in place and many openly wondered if schools would be able to keep their doors open given the depths of a lingering funding crisis.

Pension spiking drives up taxpayer-funded pension payments, a burden taxpayers can hardly afford given Illinois’ long-held standing as home to some of the highest tax rates in the nation.

“The practice of pension spiking is in keeping with the disastrous culture that has driven Illinois to the fiscal crisis that it is in,” Idstein said. “It is evident that these strategies are compounding the budgetary issues facing Illinois, and the economic climate has created conditions that require everyone in the state to tighten their belts.”

Idstein is hopeful a solution lies in all new board of education employees being moved into a self-managed 401(k)-style plan that better cuts down on abuse.

“Taxpayers cannot continue to be expected to weather rampant tax increases in perpetuity,” he said. “We should acknowledge and reward our best teachers for what they do. Yet, the further we continue to kick the pension crisis can down the road, the less able we will be to provide for students, teachers, and schools. We cannot afford to have our taxes going toward servicing pensions of retirees rather than servicing our students and our schools.”

Idstein is challenging Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake) in Illinois’ 62nd House District, which includes Avon, Fremont, Grant, Lake Villa, Warren and Wauconda.