As part of my Journalism 220 class at IUP and in an effort to learn how the Open Records Act works, I have sent a request to my high school, Conemaugh Valley Jr./Sr. High School. I inquired about the salaries that the Superintendent and the Principal receive.
After several weeks of waiting, I received a polite letter in return, signed by the superintendent, that disclosed the information. As it turns out, the superintendent, William H. Rushin, gets an annual salary of $105,000/year. The principal, James F. Cekada, gets $75,780/year.
While it seems that this amount is similar to some found by my classmates, I wonder how many students those schools have. I am unable to find a total student population, but I graduated in 2006 with a class of 69 students. Throughout my high school career, many of our books were outdated and in deplorable condition, sometimes ten years old and missing the hard cover completely. I recall a few occasions when the janitors came into our classrooms with buckets because the rainwater was leaking through the roof onto the floor.
With all of this in mind, why are the superintendent and principal making so much of our taxpayer money? Do they truly need or deserve it? Are there better uses for it? Things may have changed for the better since I was a student, but it's only been two and a half years.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
District Superintendent Contract
I sent a letter to my high school's superintendent requesting a copy of her contract on October 24. I waited for weeks for an answer, until I finally gave in and called the school. They told me that they had in fact mailed me a copy the day that they recieved my letter, October 31. Since I was not present when the mailman came by to drop off the letter, which I had to sign for and show identification, I was unable to attain it. The superintendent's secretary then offered to scan and e-mail me a copy of the contract, which I immediately agreed to. I recieved an e-mail almost immediately, and was very pleased with the assignment.
Belle Vernon Area School District School Board Salaries
For my open records challenge, i wrote a letter to Eileen Navish, the business manager at Belle Vernon Area School District requesting information if elected school board officials receive any type of salary when holding a position.
Within a week or two, i promptly received an e-mail attachment from Navish saying she was pleased to provide this information for me and in regard to the information requested; members of the Belle Vernon School Board receive zero wages while holding a board position.
The reason for this is because, outside of the district superintendent, school board members work at their own respective jobs and, thus, receive wages from them.
Within a week or two, i promptly received an e-mail attachment from Navish saying she was pleased to provide this information for me and in regard to the information requested; members of the Belle Vernon School Board receive zero wages while holding a board position.
The reason for this is because, outside of the district superintendent, school board members work at their own respective jobs and, thus, receive wages from them.
IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater's contract and salary
Dear blogger,
Our class underwent a secret agent experiment to eek out little known information from the state system testing its availability for the public eye. Being a student attending college at IUP I thought it prudent to get an idea how long our president will be with us and what exactly goes on between his cabinet members and staff in Sutton Hall.
To begin to get an understanding I decided I would ask the university "Right-to-Know" officer on campus for a copy of the current president's contract and salary information.
The process was simple. I wrote a formal business letter to Michelle Fryling (said Right-to-Know officer) asking for the required documents on October 24th. On October 29th I assumed she would have gotten the letter so I called her office and left a voicemail asking if she received the letter and asking if she could get back to me soon. The very next day she called my cell phone and asked me if I wanted to pick up the information at her office or receive it in the mail because it was ready for me. I opted for the mail and it arrived on November 8th. It was listed as certified mail which I had to sign for and show identification to receive.
The information she sent me was not a full contract but it does include the president's annual salary of $239,083.00 and includes information about his term which goes until June 30, 2010. It goes into his duties and the relationships between cabinet members, vice presidents and provosts. I gleaned a lot of knowledge from this project which I highly value being a student here. I did not have any trouble getting the information and Fryling even inserted a little note into my letter wishing me luck on my project.
Since this was a secret agent project and all, I hadn't intended she find out I am a student but with a mailing address of 'Crimson Hawk' I guess it is hard to misinterpret.
While doing this project I felt as though I was doing something that was wrong. Even though everyone knows how much the president of the United States makes in a year it somehow felt impolite to try and weasel out the contract. I felt as though I was going behind the president's back by seeking this information. Now I realize that those feelings need to be checked. There is nothing sneaky or wrong about being aware of this information. Now I have a better understanding of my surroundings and can nip lame rumors about the university higher-ups in the bud. It is amazing how unaware people are of these real figures.
The information I sought was given to me. The system works.
Our class underwent a secret agent experiment to eek out little known information from the state system testing its availability for the public eye. Being a student attending college at IUP I thought it prudent to get an idea how long our president will be with us and what exactly goes on between his cabinet members and staff in Sutton Hall.
To begin to get an understanding I decided I would ask the university "Right-to-Know" officer on campus for a copy of the current president's contract and salary information.
The process was simple. I wrote a formal business letter to Michelle Fryling (said Right-to-Know officer) asking for the required documents on October 24th. On October 29th I assumed she would have gotten the letter so I called her office and left a voicemail asking if she received the letter and asking if she could get back to me soon. The very next day she called my cell phone and asked me if I wanted to pick up the information at her office or receive it in the mail because it was ready for me. I opted for the mail and it arrived on November 8th. It was listed as certified mail which I had to sign for and show identification to receive.
The information she sent me was not a full contract but it does include the president's annual salary of $239,083.00 and includes information about his term which goes until June 30, 2010. It goes into his duties and the relationships between cabinet members, vice presidents and provosts. I gleaned a lot of knowledge from this project which I highly value being a student here. I did not have any trouble getting the information and Fryling even inserted a little note into my letter wishing me luck on my project.
Since this was a secret agent project and all, I hadn't intended she find out I am a student but with a mailing address of 'Crimson Hawk' I guess it is hard to misinterpret.
While doing this project I felt as though I was doing something that was wrong. Even though everyone knows how much the president of the United States makes in a year it somehow felt impolite to try and weasel out the contract. I felt as though I was going behind the president's back by seeking this information. Now I realize that those feelings need to be checked. There is nothing sneaky or wrong about being aware of this information. Now I have a better understanding of my surroundings and can nip lame rumors about the university higher-ups in the bud. It is amazing how unaware people are of these real figures.
The information I sought was given to me. The system works.
norristown area school district
As a project for my journalism 220 class at IUP, my professor had the class send letters requesting information (that should be able to be given out to the public as part of open records) from a place of the students choosing. I chose the school district of my hometown, Norristown Area School District.
I mailed my letter to the school district on Oct. 24, 2008. On Nov. 9, I recieved a letter back stating that they were unable to give out this information.
Really though? All I asked for was to know how much was the salary of the superintendent of the school district. As a tax payer (and my tax dollars go to pay the superintendent's salary) I have the right to this information.
According to open records, if a salary is being payed by the tax payers, the tax payers have the right to know how much is being payed. There was no explanation of whyI was unable to recieve this information that I requested in the letter that was sent back to me. So how is it that I can be denied from obtaining this information?
I mailed my letter to the school district on Oct. 24, 2008. On Nov. 9, I recieved a letter back stating that they were unable to give out this information.
Really though? All I asked for was to know how much was the salary of the superintendent of the school district. As a tax payer (and my tax dollars go to pay the superintendent's salary) I have the right to this information.
According to open records, if a salary is being payed by the tax payers, the tax payers have the right to know how much is being payed. There was no explanation of whyI was unable to recieve this information that I requested in the letter that was sent back to me. So how is it that I can be denied from obtaining this information?
Marion Center Teacher's Strike
In my journalism 220 class, our professor asked us to read the new Right To Know Law and then type up and letter and send it out. I read the law and then thought about my senior year in high school; the teachers went on strike and pretty much ruined our year. We were forced to come to school on days we normally would have had off, snow days were a thing of the past and we could forget about graduating early like all the classes before us. My class, the class of 2007, was the first class to graduate ever in history of Marion Center on June 29.
Our summer was cut short and most of us started college toward the end of August. I remember all of us being really angry with the teachers for ruining our last year at Marion Center High School, but once I came to IUP it was long forgotten, until I was asked to type up a letter about the new Right To Know Law.
I wrote my letter to my high school asking them for the notes that were taken during all of the school board meetings where the teachers tried to get a new contract and higher wages. I asked if they could mail me the minutes and also the salaries of the teachers before and after the strike. On November 4, I received a letter from the new superintendent of the high school and he told me that the notes taken during the school board meetings and the salaries of the teachers before and after the strike were "...confidential, in other words, the public does not have the right to be presented that information."
Although they were not willing to give me the information I requested, the superintendent did say that if I was willing to pay $8.75 they could mail me information on a new collective bargaining agreement between Marion Center Area Board of School Directors and the Marion Center Area Education Association. This was out of the question since I am not willing to spend $10 for something I don't want information on.
Our summer was cut short and most of us started college toward the end of August. I remember all of us being really angry with the teachers for ruining our last year at Marion Center High School, but once I came to IUP it was long forgotten, until I was asked to type up a letter about the new Right To Know Law.
I wrote my letter to my high school asking them for the notes that were taken during all of the school board meetings where the teachers tried to get a new contract and higher wages. I asked if they could mail me the minutes and also the salaries of the teachers before and after the strike. On November 4, I received a letter from the new superintendent of the high school and he told me that the notes taken during the school board meetings and the salaries of the teachers before and after the strike were "...confidential, in other words, the public does not have the right to be presented that information."
Although they were not willing to give me the information I requested, the superintendent did say that if I was willing to pay $8.75 they could mail me information on a new collective bargaining agreement between Marion Center Area Board of School Directors and the Marion Center Area Education Association. This was out of the question since I am not willing to spend $10 for something I don't want information on.
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