IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
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Volume 4 – May 2012
REGIONS 14 & 62 IEA-Retired LUNCHEON MEETING
Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 11:30 AM
THE MOOSE LODGE, 614 IAA Drive, Bloomington
We would like to invite you to join us for our last meeting of the 2011-2012 school year. Our
chapter serves retired educators and ESPs in Region 14 (Bloomington-Normal) and Region 62
(McLean, Livingston, and parts of Woodford Counties). Please plan to attend and bring a
new retiree or “old” retiree with you.
May 9 – We have a program change again. Our previously scheduled speaker has been
rescheduled for our November 2012 meeting. We will now be having a program presented by
Kay Henrichs entitled "From Milkweed to Mexico - The Amazing Monarch Butterflies." This
will be a Power Point pictorial presentation of the life and travels of the Monarch.
Mark Your Calendars for 2012-2013
We meet the 2nd Wednesday of every other month - September, November, January, March, and May
- at 11:30 at the Moose Lodge on IAA Drive in Bloomington. We start with lunch followed by a short
business meeting and a program. The dates for the 2012-2013 school year are: September 12,
November 14, January 9, March 13, and May 8. Mark your calendars and plan to attend.
TRS Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at Normal Community HS, 3900 E. Raab Road
4:30 PM
TRS Executive Director, Dick Ingrim, will address the myths, misinformation and rhetoric
that we are continually hearing. He will take questions and provide facts to help us
understand the debate that is vital to our pensions.
MEAL CHOICES
Choices for lunch this month are (1) chicken salad croissant or (2) pork tenderloin sandwich. There
will also be soup and tossed salad. The price is $7.00 which is all inclusive. Please have exact
change for your meal, if possible. Chris Albritton must have your reservation no later than
Monday, April 30. Please call her at (309) 452-3828 or e-mail her at chrisalbritton@mac.com. If
you leave a message or e-mail, please give your name and the sandwich choice you wish to order.
Online Informer – http://iearetired.wordpress.com
Website – www.ieanea.org/members/retired
VISIT OUR CHAPTER WEBSITE at: www.ieanea.org/local/1462
IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
Save the Date
The next IEA Student Program statewide Outreach to Teach school makeover will be
Saturday, June 9, at Bloomington Jr. HS. The Bloomington School District is excited to
have nearly 100 student, active, and retired IEA members plan to come help paint
classrooms, something that would not be possible without the volunteers at this event.
BEA will provide the lunch and snacks. The day will start about 8:30 AM and end by 3 PM.
More details will be available at a later date. We have already had 7 members of our
chapter sign up to participate. Please let me know if you would be willing to help.
(djkilgus@frontier.com) It really is a fun time. I will get more information to those
signing up when it is available.
Mary Lou and Keith Hauge Scholarship Contributions
Our chapter will again collect voluntary donations at our last meeting for the IEA-Retired Mary Lou and
Keith Hauge Scholarship of $1500 presented each year in March at the IEA Representative Assembly to a
child of an IEA member who plans to become a teacher. This is income tax deductible with a cancelled
check as a receipt. Let’s help those who have yet to join the profession in which we spent our lives
working. We have $240.95 after our 4th meeting. Let’s help make a difference.
Additionally we contributed an item to the silent auction held at the IEA Representative Assembly in
March where over $8500 was raised for the scholarship fund.
Judy Hines, March Program presenter.
May 2012
Janet Beyer and Darrel Sutter at Student Conference.
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IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
Chapter Leaders for 2011-2012
President – Janet Kilgus – 815-692-2172, djkilgus@frontier.com
Vice-President – Connie Lucki – 309-828-2667, teeeeechu@hotmail.com
Secretary – Madelon Newsom – 309-830-0399
Treasurer – Carla Smith – 309-663-1570
Past President – Judy Duvall – 309-663-1573
Committee Chairs:
Membership – Janet Beyer
Region Council Rep for Region 14 – Janet
Kilgus
School Supply Project – Connie Lucki
Luncheon Reservations – Chris Albritton
Legislative – Lou Ann Jacobs
Newsletter – Janet Kilgus
Website – Janet Kilgus & Lou Ann Jacobs
Region Council Rep for Region 62 – Lou
Ann Jacobs, Margaret Bratcher, Janet
Kilgus
Program Committee – Officers, committee
chairs, Tom Dunavin, Barb Gilhaus
Thank You
Thank you to Carla Smith for ten years of service as our chapter Treasurer and to Connie
Lucki for 3 ½ years as our chapter Vice President and Chair of our School Supply Project.
Thank you as well to Jan Meadows who is slated to be our next Vice President and to
Don Gibb who has agreed to be our next Treasurer. Janet Kilgus and Madelon Newsom
have agreed to continue in their current positions for another term. Election of this slate
of officers will be at the May meeting.
Important Reminder
Please let Janet Kilgus know at djkilgus@frontier.com or at 815-692-2172 if you have any changes in
your address, phone number, or e-mail address over the summer. We can’t stay in touch with you
if we don’t have the correct information.
Did You Know?
Minutes of our meetings are on our chapter website – www.ieanea.org/local/1462
May 2012
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IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
Stay Informed
Check the IEA website often for the latest legislative developments regarding pensions:
www.ieanea.org and click on the Pensions tab.
Lobby Locally in 2012
The Capitol Building is undergoing extensive renovations which will make it difficult for large
groups to gather, as in past IEA Lobby Days. As a result, the IPACE Executive Committee decided
that concentrating lobbying efforts at home, on legislators’ home turf, will make a bigger impact.
This will give members a greater opportunity to have meaningful on-on-one and small group
conversations with their legislators and to be able to start lobbying efforts earlier and continue
them longer this year.
Regions 14 and 62’s Back Home Lobby Day was April 3 at the IEA Office. About 100 members,
including about a dozen who are retired participated. Keith Sommer, Bill Mitchell, Jason
Barickman, and Dan Brady were in attendance to answer our questions and hear our concerns.
As always, keep in regular contact with your legislators via calls, e-mail, and letters regarding the
pension issue – which will be a big one this spring. IEA can’t do this for you. It’s all of you who
elect your legislators who make the difference. The PENSIONS tab on the IEA website
www.ieanea.org will keep you up-to-date on the issues and give you facts and talking points.
Contact information for your legislators can be found on our chapter website (see bottom of page
1) under LEGISLATIVE.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR NEEDY STUDENTS
We do not collect for school supplies at our May meeting since it is so close to the end of the
school year. Please watch for back to school sales in August and buy up some items to bring to
our September meeting.
IEA Representative Assembly Report:
Can be found on our chapter website under NEWS.
Volunteers Were a BIG Help
The Spring IEA Student Conference was held March 30-31 at the DoubleTree Hotel in
Bloomington. Thank you to the 8 members of our chapter who volunteered, helping make
this a successful experience for our IEA student members. Appreciation goes to Connie
Lucki, Janet Beyer, Donald Gibb, Darrel Sutter, Sharon Evans, Jan Meadows, Velma
Nordine, and Janet Kilgus for their time and assistance.
May 2012
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IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
This and That from Janet
Members in our chapter working for you on retirement issues and in IEA/NEA:

Don Gibb, Lou Ann Jacobs, and Dave and Janet Kilgus participated in the Regions 14 & 62 Lobby Day.

Barb Gilhaus and Janet Kilgus were retired delegates to the IEA Representative Assembly.

Janet has been attending the IEA Board of Directors Meetings this year.

Barb Gilhaus and Janet continue to be members of the IEA Retired Council. Barb is Secretary-Treasurer of the
Council and Janet continues to coordinate the Living Library and maintain the Council Policies document. Please let
us know how we can better represent you.

Janet is on the IEA New Business 16 (Pro-active Pension Protection) Implementation Committee.

Lou Ann Jacobs is a member of the IEA-Retired Conference Committee.
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Region 14/62 Legislative Update
by Lou Ann Jacobs
The Illinois General Assembly will be marching through the budget and other items during the
month of May towards adjournment scheduled for May 31. There is some talk as to whether or
not they will have to go into June. Since their rules would require a two-thirds majority on votes
in an overtime session, they want to avoid that at all costs.
Still left to be resolved is the budget for next fiscal year, proposed changes to the state pension
systems, and funding of the state’s portion of the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program
(TRIP). The Illinois House passed two resolutions in late March to reduce the state budget for
next year. That will mean reductions in all departments of state government. It appears that the
ISBE could be cut about a quarter-billion-dollars. The resolutions do include making the pension
payment and the group insurance payments. This all of course assumes that the projected state
revenues stay on target. The House resolutions are now in the Senate for their approval.
Governor Quinn’s budget proposal included elimination of the state’s portion of the TRIP. In the
current fiscal year, the state matched the active teacher’s payments to the tune of $87 million.
Loss of these funds would require changes in how the program is funded with possible increases
in insurance premiums, active member and school district contributions. Current proposals do
not include removing the funding but this could change as the legislature deals with the budget.
There was some discussion at the Region 14/62 At Home Lobby Day in regards to current retiree
benefits. All four legislators in attendance (Reps. Sommer, Brady, Barickman, and Mitchell)
indicated they had no interest in changing any of the current retiree benefits and want the state
to continue to pay into the TRIP. The reality is that the state is not generating enough money to
pay all its bills. The pension payments will be made but right now there is not enough money to
make up the for the pension "holidays" when no payments were made.
May 2012
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IEA Regions 14 & 62 Retired Newsletter
All IEA-Retired members from Regions 14 & 62 are invited to join our chapter. If you are a member of
IEA/NEA-R, it doesn’t automatically make you a member of our group. Local dues are $6.00, which
mainly covers our mailings. Please make checks payable to IEA-R Regions 14/62. Please pay for only one
year at a time. If you have pre-paid, the label on your envelope will have the date through which you have
paid. No date on your label means you owe for this year.
----------------------------------------------(Return this form with your check)
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(Is this a new e-mail address – yes or no Circle one.)
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SPECIAL CONCERNS___________________________________________________
Please mail this form to Mrs. Carla Smith, Treasurer, 1215 Gettysburg Drive, Bloomington, IL 61704
or bring it to a Regions 14 & 62 Chapter meeting. If you have questions about your membership you can
call Carla at 309-663-1570.
May 2012
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