Metro East Sun

Doug Jameson points to the state’s spiraling “pension-spiking” crisis as another illustration of Chicago's machine-like politics at work.

“It shouldn’t be happening,” Jameson, a Republican who is running against incumbent Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) in the 113th District, told the Metro East Sun.

Public school districts across the state have spiked the salaries of certain educators at the end of their careers by as much 20 percent, driving up overall costs and artificially increasing the benefits due to them.

Rep. Jay Hoffman

The situation is compounded by the fact that the most recent spiking took place during a period when the state was forced to operate with no budget in place and many top school administrators openly complained about having to do more with less funding, the Illinois New Network (INN) reported.

Pension spiking also drives up taxpayer-funded pension payments, a burden that Illinois taxpayers can hardly afford because the state has some of the highest tax rates in the nation.

“This isn’t good for the state,” said Jameson. “I’m knocking on doors every day and I can tell you the people are tired of what’s coming out of Springfield and from their so-called leaders, and this is just something else to raise their ire."

Jameson said that particularly holds true in his community where School District 189 has some of the highest average administrator salaries in the state and some of the lowest academic performances.

“You have homeowners trapped in these homes out here paying property tax rates as high as 11 percent at the same time this underperforming school district is breaking the law by spiking pensions on the backs of one of the state’s poorest communities,” he said.

Once he gets to Springfield, Jameson said he plans to promote parity throughout the entire school system at every level.

“Right now, we have the average Chicago Public Schools student receiving double funding compared to what the downstate students are,” he said. “There needs to be parity through and through."

The 113th District includes all or parts of Brooklyn, Caseyville, Fairmont City, Pontoon Beach, Shiloh, Swansea and Washington Park.