Despite being billions of dollars in debt, Illinois continues to pay out massive severance packages for public executives. the Better Government Association contends.
As an example, the BGA pointed to the 2016 payout of former Chicago State University President Thomas Calhoun, who received $600,000 in severance and $5,000 in moving expenses when he left the school after just nine months.
Trustees refused to hear public comment or answer any questions about his departure, the BGA said.
Calhoun received the payout as part of a separation agreement that promised him two years’ salary. Meanwhile, the university remains strapped for cash, asking the state government for yet another financial infusion.
In Illinois, there is one law on the books governing how contractual severance packages are handled, but tit addresses only public employees of community colleges. The BGA is urging similar laws be put into place statewide.
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