Superintendant Salary Raise at the Expense of Teachers?

Do you read “Rockwall Topix” on the internet?

There was a post that the RISD superintendant Dr. Gene Burton received a substantial raise while RISD teachers received a reduction in health care benefits. On the Rockwall ISD website under legal postings, I examined the Superintendant’s contract and the school district’s budget.

RISD is running just under a THREE MILLION DOLLAR deficit. The amount paid for on teachers health care was reduced by $160,000. Rockwall ISD may still pay for the yearly deductible for the employees, but the district has switched teachers to a lower quality of healthcare to save administrative money. The new RISD health plan requires significantly higher out of pocket expenses on doctor visits, pharmacy, and other medical expenses.

Meanwhile, the Superintendant’s salary was just increased by $75,000. His total salary now stands at $350,000 and he has now has a $671 a month gas allowance. No other position of high authority in Rockwall County makes this much money in a single year. The District Judge makes fewer than two hundred thousand dollars a year as well as all other public positions within the county.

This however, is not a justification for the County Commissioners to raise their salary substantially again or anyone else’s so other public persons make the same as the Superintendant. Plus, he will receive a large yearly retention and performance bonus.

The Superintendant should not receive a substantial pay raise, when teacher’s health care quality is reduced and the teachers receive an insignificant pay raise that net wise is a loss when the reduction in healthcare quality is added in. Furthermore, it is also insulting to the teachers and stinks of partisan politics to have Laura Bush as a paid speaker at the beginning of the year RISD convocation. The $30,000 spent, could have been spent to more wisely.

Now you can expect a huge tax increase as the RISD balances its budget. Also, recall that RISD passed a $200,000,000 bond in 2007. RISD stated that another bond would not be needed for three years, those three years are up this spring.

As a reminder to RISD, the US Supreme Court Case in Pickering v. Board of Education (1968) involved a teacher who was dismissed for writing a letter critical of the school board to the local newspaper. The US Supreme Court ruled that educators, all public employees, do have a right to freedom of expression in the community as long as such speech is not recklessly made and has a public information basis. The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the dismissed teacher as the school district violated the teacher’s constitutional first amendment rights.

Of ccourse it is money in hand of big man with big britches thats how it works in Rockwall. Reward thy friend and love thy neighboor less he be quwer, democrat or black. School district not build monument stadiums and monument libries we not have such massive debt. Should not have said for commissioners not to raise their own salary as high as the big man with big britches.

Cause then sorry commissioners would raise salaryies cause you gave thems an idea now. Rockwall not nothing but political urinal have mightyy mouse of meetings and plan on how to eat tax payer money. Like that dome that the commissioner want to build on governnment center no one asked for. Or like Matt Scotts tub of concrete called the harbor. Big waste of tax monies to build such thing. All stores are vacant cause Matt Scott charges too much to be at harbor just like school district charge too much to go to school here. If they stop building monuments and stop try to be highland park all would be ok. But they like to tax and spend more than president Obamas. Eventually hole system collapses cause over spent moneies and school district wood collapse cause over spent and tax and spend and no one can afford the taxes and speniding. County works that way school district works that way Matt Scott and his city works that way too. Just one big tax and spend effort. They cut teacher salary for the pay raise aint right. Just like commissioners and their massive pay raise and gas allowance. Now intendant need gas allowance not good. Why does Rockwall let such sorry office folks make you pay for their gas. Do we pay for their haircuts too. Why do we elect a superintendant who is going to rais ehis salary and hurt them teachers. Its cause its rockwall and rockwall works like that. If teacher vote superintendant out then teachers get their healthcare back sorry man.

Just another example of how some of our education systems seem to parallel Wall Street CEOs.

Shame that the local media is controlled by Rockwall's Kingpin. Otherwise, this would make an excellent media story or letter. I know this letter never was printed even without reading the papers. This is Rockwall, nothing is printed.

This is probably the most intelligent and worth while writing on Topix. I was informed and it was factual.

At least one of the local media will print such a story! TheRockwallNews.com will research this and will consider publishing the story on our website if this info is correct. Please feel free to email more info to us at www.therockwallnews.com . We now attract over 10,000 readers a month because we're willing to print what the papers won't! Thanks!

Sure, we can send you things to back this story. Of course, likely RISD has already presented you a threat or an offer of some kind not to print anything close to it.

No threats or offers have been presented by RISD to stop us from publishing anything. So please send us whatever info you have.

In fact, we just published a story at www.TheRockwallNews.com about the suspected drug-related death of a former Rockwall High cheerleader, which even teachers and kids were confirming yesterday in classes was drug-related.

We have received some complaints and threats from people in the community because we printed the story before the official Dallas coroner's report comes out. But we don't have to wait eight weeks to learn what many teens and now adults already know, based on reports from teens that were there and know the details. Coincidentally it's Drug Awareness Week in RISD. What a coincidence!

So we will publish controversial stories because the public does have the right to know what's going on. Drugs are a major problem now across Rockwall and we intend to keep sounding the alarm for the good of the community.

By the way, over 3,000 visitors have read the story about the drug-related death in just two days! Proof that people do want to know what's going on - expecially considering the largest meth bust in N. TX history was just held two days ago - including Rockwall Police and Sheriff's officers! Watch for that story and more coming out about drugs today and soon.

Of course you received threats from those in the local community as there are some out here who maintains their power off of keeping Rockwall closed off as a little twilight zone from the rest of the world.

So many things happen in this town and nobody knows it. The first step is to break the lock on the local media. For which at some point if you become a big enough threat, they will buy you out.

Someone rich with connections in this town will buy you out, or a politician or someone from Lake Point Church. The unfortunate part is everyone has a price, and if they dangled $250,000+ in front of your eyes to buy your paper and shut you up, then you probably would do it.

But you are not a big enough threat yet, otherwise, they would have the goal of destroying your name, your reputation, taking away your advertisers....any sort of manner to cause you pain. There are people out here that do not care what is right and wrong. It may be a small religious county, but right and wrong does not align with the churches out here. In fact, most of the really wrong things that occur are coming out of members or leaders within the local churches themselves. Some of these people will not think twice of destroying you to protect their power and control over others. Some out here can do everything possible to destroy the life of another person and not even think twice about it. No remorse, and no regret.

That is why forums such as Topix is important as "anonymity shields a person from the tyranny of the majority" - US Supreme Court Justice Black.

Without anonymity, government scandals like Watergate would have never gotten out. Its necessary to get things out past the government who would suppress it.

In Rockwall, without anonymity you would have Lake Point Church owning this county, controlling every single ounce of media. The religious right controls most of it now. And what isn't controlled by the religious right is controlled by Ralph Hall. For which, if you become a big enough threat, he will come visit you.

Not secrets for long, interest is mounting. On my life's blood Dr. Gene Burton will not be doing the same things and staying Superintendent. I will do everything I can to force his removal.

Over paid.

Shame that no one will write the papers endlessly on this man.

You can always come to the next Breakfast with Burton held November 19th at 9AM at the Administration Building! You never know, Burton's salary increase and the pitiful teacher insurance may be brought up. Let's see what answers he gives and you can quote him!!

Not Leslie Gibson of the Herald Banner. Your not going to uncover anything as you are too happy with your RISD award for sound coverage of the school system. Did you get a nice colored sheet of paper for not saying anything? Its the most ridiculous thing to have the media get any awards except from journalism organizations and fellow media, not from the government.

I agree with Beach Boys, REAL journalists don't care about making school districts happy.

You'd sell more papers if you uncovered some of the districts practices that would shock taxpayers and force change. It's called real journalism, not feel good Obama crap.