Illinois Teachers Living Large

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Some, but not all, but for them, before and after retirement, the phrase “gravy train” comes to mind.

Open the Books, a group that does just that with state and federal records, regularly finds people who find public service quite lucrative. Just as regularly, they find teachers and school administrators. In a column which appeared on the Forbes magazine site on October 25, 2018, Adam Andrzejewski, the CEO of Open The Books, highlighted some of these.

“While Illinois is broke and it continues to flirt with junk bond status, the public employee class is living the good life. Our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com found three doctors at the University of Illinois at Chicago with incomes between $1 million and $1.6 million; 633 educators out-earned every governor of the 50 states ($190,000 to $407,000); and 130 small town or government administrators made between $190,000 and $324,000,” he wrote.

He also claimed that “Last year, nearly 19,000 current educators earned a six-figure salary while more than 11,600 retired educators received six-figure pensions. Six retired superintendents pocketed $300,000+ pensions, including Lawrence Wyllie (Lincoln-Way CHSD 210 – $331,086); Henry Bangser (New Trier Township HSD 203 – $321,834); Gary Catalani (Wheaton-Warrenville Unit SD 200 – $320,403); Laura Murray (Homewood-Flossmoor CHSD 233 – $315,221); and Mary Curley (Hinsdale CCSD 181 – $306,151).”