REVOLT. Taxpayers of Hinsdale, DuPage, Illinois, and the USA REVOLT. It happened this week in Massachusetts; it needs to happen everywhere.

The root cause of District 181 problems is not a lack of revenue; it is too much spending. Too many administrators with 6 figure salaries. Too many poor decisions (Tennbusch) resulting in more 6 figure sums of money down the drain.

The recent cost savings ideas were mere tweaks and I suspect window dressing rather than a brutal, honest look at what needs to be done.

I will now address the Lord Voldemort of Hinsdale. Three ideas so radical and so shocking they cannot be spoken of in decent company.

1. Put new and non tenured teachers on a much less generous salary, pension, and benefit plan. The average teacher in Illinois retires at age 57 with an annual pension exceeding $100M. (Chicago Tribune). Pensions for the private sector were slashed in the 80s. We cannot continue to fund guaranteed raises and pensions for our teachers at the current level. The state of Illinois must come to this same conclusion soon. We should not spring this on employees a few years from retirement, but the more employees we get at reduced pension and benefit levels, the better. Take a strike if you need to; it is the only way to get the budget balanced long term.

2. Combine District 181 and District 86 administrations. Throw in Butler and whoever else wants to come along. Where I grew up, there was one school district for all students. One superintendent was responsible for 4 high schools and dozens of elementary and middle schools. In DuPage and Illinois we have separate buildings, separate cadres of 6 figure staffers all with pensions and cars and benefits. We have to combine redundant overhead positions if we are to survive. Most states do not have separate taxing districts and overhead staff for high schools and elementary schools. This is an easy one with zero impact on student learning.

3. Sell a school. The baby boomlet has passed and the massive rebuilding project we just completed now looks foolish and wasteful. The Doings yesterday had a picture of the former Monroe Annex that was sold in 1973 for $130,000 and turned into 8 homes. What would Oak School bring today? The added bonus is the property tax revenue generated by a half dozen or so $4million mansions that would be built on the land. For those of you that don't think Hinsdale is "progressive" enough, we could put up a Target or Wal*Mart where a school used to be. Think of the tax revenues!!!(I am just kidding, but many of our neighbors are serious). BTW, we save one principal, assistant principal , chief bottle washer, etc. when we downsize buildings. I don't know which school to sell; I like Oak because the land is so valuable. We could conduct an SUV pull or wine chugging contest among the PTO presidents to determine which school goes down. I had some fun with this one, but the serious fact is that we do not need all the real estate we currently own.

Taxpayers: We need to revolt and force real change to the status quo in District 181 and 86. Slash overhead, slash redundant administrative costs, sell half empty schools, freeze salaries, freeze pensions, and put new hires on a much less generous program.

Get all that done before you come talking to us about a tax increase.