FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Charlie McBarron
Phone: 217/544-0706
Educators say General Assembly out of excuses for revenue boost
March 25, 2010 – Springfield, IL – When the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday passed legislation that unfairly and unnecessarily slashes pension benefits for future participants in the state pension systems, lawmakers ran out of excuses for avoiding fiscal reality. That’s according to the leader of the state’s largest education employee organization.
Ken Swanson, president of the 133,000-member Illinois Education Association (IEA), today said the lawmakers who long insisted “something has to be done about pensions” now have no excuse for opposing the tax increase needed to pay for education and state services.
“Education employees are the victims of the General Assembly and past governors, whose fiscal irresponsibility caused the state’s pension and financial crises. That’s not just my opinion; it’s the opinion of Senate President John Cullerton and other legislators who admitted as much just before they voted to punish teachers and state employees for legislators’ own sins,” Swanson said.
According to the IEA president, with the pension vote went the last argument against lawmakers addressing the revenue needs of the state.
“No more excuses, the people of this state are demanding responsible action from the legislature and the Governor,” Swanson said.
“We will not emerge from this recession if we lay off as many as 20,000 education employees in the next school year. The state needs to invest to get back on track and that means passing a meaningful revenue bill, such as HB 174, during this session. No more excuses,” Swanson said.
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The Illinois Education Association is a state affiliate of the 3.2-million member National Education Association. IEA represents more than 133,000 education employees in Illinois, including teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty and staff, retired education employees, and students planning to become teachers.