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DeKalb Times

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Records show how much DeKalb County school districts have paid for spiking teacher pensions ahead of retirement

Test 05

Out of school districts in DeKalb County, Dekalb Community Unit School District 428 paid the most in penalties since 2005 for spiking employee salaries to boost outgoing teachers' retirement benefits, according to data obtained from the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois.

A 2005 law put the penalties in place to discourage districts from giving costly raises - any above 6 percent - that result in costlier pensions. While salaries are paid by districts, the state foots the bill for educators' retirement benefits.

Illinois penalizes districts for "pension spiking" by passing on the extra pension costs associated with hiking salaries in the years leading up to retirement.

Since 2005, the state has assessed more than $161 million in penalties, according to TRS data.

DeKalb County pensions spiking penalties, 2005-present

Rank
District
City
Members
Amount Assessed
Payments Made
Waivers Granted
Written-off
Current Balance
1
Dekalb Community Unit School District 428
DeKalb
89
$957,600.86
$351,921.25
$605,669.32
$10.29
2
Sandwich Community Unit School District 430
Sandwich
25
$80,492.48
$48,566.46
$31,918.35
$7.67
3
Sycamore Community Unit School District 427
Sycamore
16
$49,570.13
$38,388.79
$11,181.54
$(0.20)
4
Indian Creek School District 425
Shabbona
14
$36,994.64
$31,896.04
$5,076.04
$22.56
5
Somonauk Community Unit School District 432
Somonauk
9
$31,841.31
$31,837.98
$3.33
6
Genoa-Kingston CUSD 424
Genoa
21
$50,774.36
$28,137.50
$22,633.65
$3.21
7
Hiawatha Community Unit School District 426
Kirkland
10
$23,178.61
$23,177.38
$1.23
8
DeKalb County ROE
DeKalb
11
$71,842.90
$18,585.55
$53,255.54
$1.81
9
Hinckley-Big Rock Community Unit School District 429
Hinckley
7
$15,613.97
$15,613.97
10
Indian Valley Vocational Ctr
Sandwich
4
$1,336.65
$1,335.16
$1.49

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