On Sunday’s front page you will find a package of stories that will be controversial for some and interesting for others.
We’re writing about how much individuals in government are paid. Also beginning Sunday you will find searchable databases on Kansas.com containing the salaries of city, county, school district and state government employees.
Some employees may question whether this respects their privacy.
Salaries are personal. We understand that.
But public salaries also are public information and are paid for by public tax dollars. Taxpayers have a right to see where their money is going.
A few state governments, such as Georgia, Iowa and Missouri, have put salaries for state government employees online for all to see.
The state of Kansas plans to do the same through www.kansas.gov/kanview a new site designed to promote transparency in government and budgets.
There are several reasons for making the information available:
1. Government is one of the largest employers. Wages it offers can help influence the pay scale for the rest of the area.
2. Salaries are a large part of a government’s budget, just as they are for any private company. For example, the city of Wichita spends more than 70 percent of its general fund, which is fed by property taxes, on salaries.
Ed Flentje, a Wichita State University professor who served as interim manager, warned in his proposed city budget that the amount the city pays in wages is increasing faster than the amount of money flowing into the general fund. If that trend doesn’t change, the city will either have to cut spending or increase taxes within three years.
Recent elections indicated that taxpayers are expecting local governments to be more accountable for how they spend money. It’s hard to tell just where tax money is going, if salary information is kept secret.
3. Finally, it’s interesting. KU athletic director Lew Perkins is paid $646,281, with about 28 percent of that coming from the state’s general fund. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is paid $106,948. Here’s a question for the next dinner table debate — what makes an athletic director worth six times more than a state’s governor?
17 Comments
Perhaps because Perkins generates revenue with the athletic department vs Sebelius pandering to the left and killing jobs and economic development to further her national political aspirations with the Democrat party?
This is an invasion of privacy. Yes, publish salaries of the elected officials and hired administrative officials, but for the rest you should just publish the scales. Yes, it should be public information how much a person with a certain job rating and certain years of experience earns; it should not be public information which individual is at which job rating and years of experience. My reaction to you is one of anger, and to my employer is one of betrayal. You are not doing a public service; you are appealing to crass voyeurism.
You didn’t need to name names. You could have simply said “one city bus mechanic makes…” and “one detention deputy makes…”
Elected officials sign up for this kind of close inspection, it’s part of the job. But the average city/county worker doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment. By all means, publish the salaries, but leave the names out.
I agree with rjmwx81. What’s wrong with just listing average salaries per position? What you are doing is completely wrong and offensive. Not to mention hurtful and insulting. I’ve never felt so violated. It’s like a slap in the face. I hope you get sued. I really do.
Did you think to consider what effect this would have on the average state/city/county/school district worker? Sure, you expose the high salaries, but you’ve also shown blatant disregard for the rest. Most people associate salary with worth.
Police and paramedics put their lives on the line every day – do they deserve to have their salaries made available to the criminals, drug dealers, and others? Do students have the capability of maintaining respect for a teacher or professor after knowing their salaries?
The Eagle has shown disrespect for teachers, professors, law enforcement, paramedics, fire departments, and all their support personnel, all who serve the public. You have shamed your paper by publishing this for purient interest and profit.
jean, just because it’s interesting doesn’t mean it’s right. just because it’s done in other parts of the country doesn’t mean that wichita has to be like them. i thought this was a place we wanted people to come to live and work. but maybe that’s only the people who work in private sector; but they won’t come without good schools, police, ems, and good roads. nice work. you know, i buy your paper — tell me your salary.
Oddly enough, the salaries for paramedics aren’t listed for some reason. When you search under Emergency Medical Services, it only lists 3 people. Perhaps someone at the paper has a relative/friend who works for EMS?
Actually, rjmwx81, the paramedics DO appear to be there, but under “Operations” rather than “Emergency Medical Services.” I could personally only recall the name of one EMS tech I know (a lieutenant) and just searched on his name. It came up under “operations.”
Rereading the original posting by Jean Hays, it says that certain states are putting certain salaries of state employees online. It doesn’t say anywhere that anyone (whether government or a despicable for-profit media outlet) is putting salaries of ordinary city employees, county staff or teachers on line by name in a searchable database for the world to see on the Internet, along with their date of employment and job title. This is the Eagle blatantly invading privacy to appeal to prurient interests. I totally agree with Amy78. If there is any way the Eagle can be sued, I hope there is a smart class action lawyer out there, because I’ll sign up to be the plaintiff in a second. Pull down the searchable database now!
I see no point in having the salary of my colleagues and myself posted online by name. Where is Maize, Goddard, Derby, etc.? Do they get a veil of privacy by not working in Wichita Public Schools. This is a direct invasion of my home, not my workplace. The salary charts have been available for years, but to put names with the database is ridiculous!
Why is the National Guard not listed? They are state employees right?
I can see publishing heads of departments, but it should be publishing the range of the salary. I have seen where the Eagle likes to publish the salaries of the workers at the plants when they go through a contract and when they get a bonus they like to publish what they should do with it. Wonder when the Eagle will publish the salaries of their department heads? Shouldn’t we as customers have a need to know what their salaries are since we are buying their paper?
I cannot begin to express the level of unprofessionalism this article displays. Blondie911 is correct the salary charts have been available for years , to got a level further and attach a name is lenth of service and education level, this tends to make some of these yearly incomes rather pathetic.
It is public information now. Anyone can get salary information.
All this is doing is making it easier to view.
What’s the big deal?
Salaries for employees of publicly traded companies and public charities are also public record.
No that information has never been available concerning ordinary employees by name on the Internet, not for government workers nor in the private sector. The information that has been available is for elected and top management officials, in both sectors, and sometimes by job classifation. This invasion of privacy by a media outlet to make a buck is brand new. Where do I go on the Internet to see your salary, johngalt?
cheap sensationalism is all it is. Next the eagle is going to be competing with the Enquirer for pictures of “celebrity” babies.
Disgusting. I am sure people would find it interesting to know how many times a month employees of the eagle have sex…is that going to be printed because it is “interesting”?
Obvious cheap shot that the paper calls ‘news’ and winds up directly hurting people who are just working for a living.
Just when I thought this paper couldn’t sink any lower….it did.
EXCUSE ME!
I believe the water and sewer departement is funded by water usage, tap fees, sewer fees, etc and NOT taxes.
Yet those employees are listed here.