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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Where everybody knows your paycheck
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A person’s salary is a very personal and private subject for just about everyone, except people who work in the government, including public school systems.
Just ask Melinda Berry- Dreisbach, Fayette County’s public information officer, whose salary was made public last year in a local paper.
“I think it’s uncomfortable for anyone to have their salary published, but when you work in government you know your salary is an open record. Anybody at any time can make a request to find out your salary because your salary is paid with taxpayer’s dollars and taxpayers have a right to know where their money is going. I might not like it, but I knew the rules going into this job. If I ever decide I don’t like it and want my salary kept private, then I will go to work for a private company, where it will be private.”
In August, the Fayette County Superintendent’s salary and contract was also made public. The Fayette County School Board members approved a base pay of $180,000 for Dr. John DeCotis.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Dr. Decotis is worth every penny. I just kind of squirm when I see his salary or anybody else’s for that matter. I know I have a right to know as a taxpayer, but it still makes me uncomfortable to hear the number.
“I don’t think a lot of people who take government jobs realize that their salary is public,” Berry-Dreisbach said. “I’ve known some people personally who were shocked to learn their salaries were public information. “
I don’t know if I could accept a job knowing that everyone could access my yearly wage. What about you? Do you care if your salary is made public or not?
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