What do you think?

What do you think?   

Illinois school district cheats summer  worker?

May 3, 2008

Mr. John Grizzle writes:

I retired in 2002 after teaching for 30 years.  My employment with the school district included school term and summer vacation, with both term and summer employment falling under the same job description.  During the school term all withholdings were directed to Illinois TRS [the state retirement system].

Unfortunately for Mr. Grizzle, his school district chose to not give him TRS coverage for his summer work, which included teaching in the driver education program.  This coverage omission will cost him hundreds of dollars per month in benefits, adding up to about $100,000 during the course of his retirement.

Mr. Grizzle was told by TRS attorneys that a school district does not have to provide TRS coverage for summer work unless the duties are related to work performed during the "school term."  However, John Grizzle reports that his summer duties met that requirement for TRS coverage, since the summer and term work shared the same job description.  In addition, the work he did was crucial to district operations:

My summer employment was necessary so the school district would comply with ILCS, ISBE and State Motor Vehicle Code guidelines. My summer employment allowed the school district receive reimbursement from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Other school districts in Illinois routinely provided TRS coverage to their summer school teachers.  At the very least, the disparity in treatment seems arbitrary.  TRS told Mr. Grizzle that TRS coverage policy was based upon a May, 1956 Opinion from the Illinois Attorney General.  However, a public information request produced no record of such an opinion.

Tax simplification

A proposal by Jon Hall

November 10, 2007

It was once thought that only a handful of folks really understood the Theory of Relativity. No one, however, entirely understands the U.S. Tax Code; it is complexity run riot, complexity on wheels. Even IRS agents give conflicting answers to the same tax questions.

But before Congress junks the U.S. Tax Code and the IRS for some untested replacement like the FairTax, Congress should first try real reform: radical simplification of the Code. Congress made a stab at simplification back in 1986, but it didn't stick. Complexity soon crept back into the Code, and continues to do so.

There are two main reasons for the complexity of the Individual Income Tax (other than the corruption of Congress). The first concerns figuring your total income. (This we can accept.) The second concerns figuring your taxable income and applying your tax credits; i.e., reducing your tax liability, so you won't have to pay as much. This second reason is where simplification must be focused. But fear not, read on.

Jon Hall is a mainframe programmer/analyst from Kansas City.

Jon Hall has also submitted ideas regarding

Health Insurance and

mandates as taxes

Public Program Testing Organization

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