Education – Page 7 – CU-CitizenAccess.org

In order to understand why Champaign is doing so well with their pensions compared to
other Illinois cities and the state itself, we’re going to go through a little crash course about
pensions.
A pension is the benefits paid to employees after they retire, usually a predetermined
amount of money given out each month. The pension is paid out from a pension fund, which is
the pool of money that is used to pay out participating employees’ pensions. The amount of
money within the pension fund is sometimes referred to as the plan fiduciary net position.
Pension funds gain money through employee contributions (the money employees put
into the pension fund), employer contributions (the money employers put into the pension fund),
and investment returns (the money gained from the investing of pensions funds). They generally
lose money through finally paying out an employee’s pension, investment losses, and
administrative upkeep.

Two of the most important concepts when it comes to pensions are total liability and
unfunded liability. Total liability includes the previous costs associated with pensions, but also a
calculation of future costs the pension fund will have to pay for eventually, aka what they will
have to pay when all their employees retire. Employees’ average lifespans, disability rates,
spousal lifespans, etc. are used to calculate what is the most likely amount of money the pension
fund will need o have in order to pay all their employees pensions throughout their lifespan.
As employees pension benefits increase and new employees are hired, the total liability
may become larger than the amount of money the pension fund currently has. This difference
between total liability and available money in the pension fund is called unfunded liability.
Unfunded liability is not due to be paid at the time it is taken on, but there is also no
money to pay for it when it is taken on. Therefore, it is a future payment that is promised to be
paid for later or in parts over time, similar to a loan.
For example, a city establishes a fire department in 1990 with 10 firefighters that when
they retire will receive $10,000 annually. Originally, it was assumed they would collect pension
for 20 years, so the pension fund aimed to have $2,000,000 for the firefighters’ retirement. By
2000, they have the $2,000,000 in plan fiduciary net position, but at this time the state decides
that retired firefighters will receive $15,000 per year instead, and the average lifespan
assumption has increased by 5 years. The pension fund’s total liability has grown from
$2,000,000 to $3,750,000, nearly doubling their original total liability. On top of that,
investments have not returned as much as expected and the city only puts in enough money to
cover administrative costs, so the plan fiduciary net position remained unchanged. While its
$2,000,000 was originally enough to fully fund all the firefighters’ pensions, now it is only
enough to fund 53% of their pensions. There are always a lot more moving funds and

calculations involved in real life examples, but this simple example sums up what has been
happening with many Illinois city pensions.

A copy of the notification of a civil rights investigation launched by the Department of Education sent to Chancellor Robert Jones.

Federal civil rights investigation into University of Illinois web accessibility launched

Post author:Steffie Drucker / For CU-CitizenAccess
Post published:June 27, 2017
Post category:Education

The University of Illinois is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights because many university web pages are allegedly inaccessible to those with disabilities, according to an official notification sent to Chancellor Robert Jones on April 10.

Read more about the article New law allows Illinois schools access to students’ social media passwords

Darrell Hoemann

Champaign Unit 4 school district attorney Tom Hockman with a screen of some of the district's digital media policies in his office in Champaign on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

New law allows Illinois schools access to students’ social media passwords

Post author:Megan Vasiliadis / For CU-CitizenAccess
Post published:April 22, 2015
Post category:Education

Teenage cyberbullies across Illinois might want to think twice before posting anything mean or reckless on social media ever again. Illinois public school administrators now have the authority to demand a student’s social media account password if the school suspects the student of violating a disciplinary rule or policy, thanks to a new law implemented earlier this year.

Read more about the article Free and reduced-cost lunches served up at Champaign County schools

Darrell Hoemann

Peaches are served to a student at Booker T. Washington school in Champaign, Il on Monday, April 13, 2015.

Free and reduced-cost lunches served up at Champaign County schools

Post author:Cheryl Silver
Post published:April 21, 2015
Post category:Education Poverty

The number of children receiving free and reduced-cost lunches in Champaign County is on the rise as numbers across the country decline. Of the school districts that reported, more than 51 percent of children in the county are receiving free or reduced cost lunches, up 2 percent from 2014, according to state education data.

Read more about the article Head Start, Early Head Start struggle with funding

Darrell Hoemann

Head Start director Cameron Moore in a classroom at the Champaign facility on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.

Head Start, Early Head Start struggle with funding

Post author:Hannah Prokop / For CU-CitizenAccess
Post published:April 15, 2015
Post category:Education

The Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Champaign County spent about $6.8 million last year to prepare young children from low-income families for kindergarten. But it is not enough. Although the programs serve nearly 600 children, there are still 230 on the waiting list.

Read more about the article Second Chances at Urbana Adult Education

Luke Ray/For CU-CitizenAccess.org

Jackie Mills does not have a high school diploma. She is working on getting one through Urbana Adult Education. Spring 2014

Second Chances at Urbana Adult Education

Post author:CU-CitizenAccess.org
Post published:October 15, 2014
Post category:Blog Education Full Page Feaure

By Luke Ray/For CU-CitizenAccess.org -- The Urbana Adult Education Center (UAEC) offers free high school, GED, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and other courses to adults…

Read more about the article Native American student still anguished over campus attitudes

Photo courtesy of Suey Park.

Sandoval holds a sign outside of the Native American House during a University-sponsored "I stand for..." event last year.

Native American student still anguished over campus attitudes

Post author:Angelica LaVito / For CU-CitizenAccess
Post published:August 7, 2014
Post category:Education

Xochitl Sandoval is proud of her Native American heritage. She is not proud, however, of her campus's attitude toward her Native American heritage. Sandoval, a recent graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, follows the Nahua tradition of her mother's heritage and has a Rararmuri background from her father. Through volunteering with the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Sandoval became interested in learning more about her indigenous culture.

Read more about the article Native American student carries on retired Chief tradition

Darrell Hoemann

Ivan Dozier Jr., graduate student at the University of Illinois and unofficial chief portrayer, stands on the south quad, June 2, 2014.

Native American student carries on retired Chief tradition

Post author:Claire Everett / For CU-CitizenAccess
Post published:August 7, 2014
Post category:Education

The first time Native American Ivan Dozier Jr. saw the Chief perform was at a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign football game that his father took him to when Dozier was a child. He said he was bored and restless. At halftime, Dozier remembered, he got up to get something to eat.

A. H. Gorton

Wanted: Your favorite social media place

Post author:CU-CitizenAccess.org
Post published:April 9, 2014
Post category:Article Education

CHAMPAIGN – Nearly 70 percent of U.S. residents over the age of 12 are using social media, according to this recent analysis. Overall, Twitter…

Read more about the article Teacher still dedicated despite struggles with cutbacks

Darrell Hoemann

Darla Frye with her daughter Lauren in her sixth grade classroom at Urbana Middle School on Thursday, November 14, 2013. photo by Darrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Journalism

Teacher still dedicated despite struggles with cutbacks

Post author:CU-CitizenAccess.org
Post published:November 15, 2013
Post category:Article Education

By Sal Nudo/For CU-CitizenAccess.org -- Mother and daughter enter the brightly lit Biggby Coffee shop on Mattis Avenue in Champaign. It’s a brisk October…

Weekly RoundUp: Back to School

Post author:CU-CitizenAccess.org
Post published:August 20, 2013
Post category:Article Education

Whether you walk your child to school or wave to him through the bus window, you’re in good company. Parents across the country are…