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Longtime district employee asks board to investigate missing IMRF contributions
Summary
Renee Garcia told the board she has worked in District 209 for 28 years and believes employer contributions to her IMRF account were not transmitted for 2024 and early 2025; she asked the board to investigate conflicting information from IMRF and the district business office.
A district employee asked the Proviso Township High School District 209 Board of Education to investigate whether employer contributions to her Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) retirement account were properly transmitted.
Renee Garcia, who said she has worked in District 209 for 28 years, spoke during public comment on March 11. Garcia said she elected a voluntary deduction for IMRF savings. After contacting an IMRF representative she said she was told the district did not send employer contributions for the 2024 calendar year or for early 2025. Garcia said when she asked the district’s business office about the missing deposits, she was told IMRF had not received records — leaving her uncertain which party had not completed its obligations.
“I want to know where my money went to,” Garcia said. “They’re taking money out of my account every pay period since 2016. What happened to my money? Why is that not deposited into my account?”
Garcia said payroll stubs she examined showed zeros in certain line items and lacked dollar amounts she expected to see. She told the board she had discussed the matter with business-office staff (she named staff she had contacted) and felt she was receiving unsatisfactory responses. She asked the board to investigate and seek a clear resolution.
District response at the meeting: staff accepted Garcia’s request and indicated the business office would investigate and follow up. The meeting transcript shows Garcia received forms back before leaving the lectern; the board did not take immediate formal action but business-office staff later discussed internal control and reconciliation work as part of the audit-response items.
Why it matters: IMRF employer contributions affect employee retirement accounts. If employer payments are missing or misapplied the impact can be long-term for a retiree’s pension or savings. Districts and IMRF have procedures for tracing contributions; Garcia requested the board’s assistance after she reached conflicting explanations from IMRF and district staff.
Quote from the meeting: “I want to know where my money went to,” Garcia said.
Ending: The business office indicated it would investigate; follow-up with the employee and a report to the board would be an appropriate next step. The transcript did not record a timeline or a formal vote to open an investigation.
