Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock
School districts in Springfield, Aurora and Decatur 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.
Illinois' highest pensions spiking penalties, 2005-present
Springfield School District 186
Aurora West Unified School District 129
Decatur School District 61
Evanston-Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65
Plainfield School District 202
Proviso Township High School District 209
North Chicago School District 187
Rich Township High School District 227
Dekalb Community Unit School District 428
Bellwood School District 88
Champaign Community Unit School District 4
Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73
Township High School District 214
West Harvey Dixmoor SD 147
Indian Springs School District 109
Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204
McLean County Unit School District 5
Homewood-Flossmoor CHSD 233
Johnsburg Community Unit School District 12
West Chicago Elementary School District 33
Deerfield School District 109
Mannheim School District 83
Hinsdale Township High School District 86
Belvidere Community Unit School District 100
Granite City Community Unit School District 9
Batavia Unified School District 101
Thornton Township High School District 205
Teachers Retirement System
Oak Park-River Forest SD 200
Morton High School District 201
IL Assoc of School Boards
Harvey School District 152
Berwyn South School District 100
Burbank School District 111
Matteson Elementary School District 162
Crete Monee Community Unit School District 201U
East Maine School District 63
IL School - Visually Impaired
Norridge School District 80
Urbana School District 116
Wilmette School District 39
Rockridge Community Unit School District 300
Lansing School District 158
Thornton Fractional HSD 215
Lyons Township High School District 204
Chicago Heights School District 170
Geneva Community Unit School District 304
Cahokia Unit School District 187
Park Ridge-Niles Community Consolidated School District 64
Bethalto Community Unit School District 8
Calumet Public School District 132
Fenton Community High School District 100
Country Club Hills School District 160
Lombard School District 44
Kankakee School District 111
Quincy Public School District 172
Alton Community Unit School District No. 11
Jacksonville School District 117
Bloom Township High School District 206
Kenilworth School District 38
Downers Grove Grade School District 58
Dolton School District 148
Gurnee School District 56
Bloomington School District 87
Warren Township High School District 121
Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5
Lockport Township High School District 205
Prairie Central Community Unit School District 8
Sandoval Community Unit School District 501
Collinsville Community Unit School District 10
Hinsdale Community Consolidated School District 181
Rock Island Milan School District 41
Carterville Community Unit School District 5
Central Community Unit School District 301
Argo Community High School District 217
Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47
Wauconda Community Unit School District 118
Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4
Cary Community Consolidated School District 26
Homewood School District 153
Steger School District 194
Clinton Community Unit School District 15
Grayslake Community High School District 127
Glen Ellyn School District 41
North Boone Community Unit School District 200
Effingham Community Unit School District 40
Williamson Cnty Spec Educ
Wabash Community Unit School District 348
Jersey Community Unit School District 100
Glencoe School District 35
Morton Community Unit School District 709
Prospect Heights School District 23
Burr Ridge Community Consolidated School District 180
Carbondale Elementary SD 95
Maroa Forsyth Community Unit School District 2
Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7
Lincolnwood School District 74
Reavis Township High School District 220
Grant Community High School District 124
East Alton-Wood River CHS 14
Summit Hill School District 161
La Grange School District 102
Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46
United Township High School District 30
McHenry Community Consolidated School District 15
IL Federation of Teachers
Zion-Benton Township High School District 126
Lincolnshire-Prairie View 103
Lyons School District 103
Mid-State Special Education
Villa Park School District 45
Gallatin Community Unit School District 7
Freeport School District 145
East Moline School District 37
Woodstock Community Unit School District 200
Joliet Township High School District 204
Ford Heights School District 169
Bunker Hill Community Unit School District 8
Belleville School District 118
Dolton School District 149
Lincoln-Way Area Spec Educ
Special Ed Dist of Lake County
Bradley Bourbonnais Community High School District 307
Beecher Community Unit School District 200U
Herscher Community Unit School District 2
Yorkville Community Unit School District 115
Taylorville Community Unit School District 3
Lake Forest Community High School District 115
Special Educ of Peoria Cnty
Morris School District 54
Sandwich Community Unit School District 430
Queen Bee School District 16
Cornell Community Consolidated School District 426
Dunlap Community Unit School District 323
Lake Forest School District 67
Choate Mental Health Center
Serena Community Unit School District 2
River Forest Public Schools District 90
Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401
Woodridge School District 68
Winnetka School District 36
Cook County School District 130
Hillsboro Community Unit School District 3
Washington Community High School District 308
Kirby School District 140
Forest Park School District 91
Community High School Dist 117
Pontiac Community Consolidated School District 429
Iroquois West Community Unit School District 10
Dixon Unit School District 170
Riverside-Brookfield SD 208
Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50
Marquardt School District 15
Riverside School District 96
Elwood Community Consolidated School District 203
Oak Lawn Community High School District 229