Rochester City School District Fleeces Taxpayers

First we see this good reporting from 13WHAM's Rachel Barnhart. [she continues to do some of the best local reporting] That's $102,000/year plus full benefits for 3 days/week of work as Jean-Claude Brizard’s special assistant.

Part-Time RCSD Cabinet Member Makes $102k - 13WHAM.com: "(Rochester, N.Y.) – A member of Rochester school Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard’s cabinet who earns a six-figure salary is required to be present only three days a week. Kirsten Barclay-Manske was offered a job as a Special Assistant to the Superintendent last June. She earns $102,000 a year and receives full benefits. Brizard’s letter offering her the job specifies that she is to be in the office three days a week and be available by phone and email all other times."


Then we see this little gem, the story gets even better! Don't forget that this is from a Rochester City School District that has a $54MM budget deficit and a horrific graduation and academic record. What culpability does the school board have in this apparent lack of responsible oversight? [see the appointment letter here, PDF]

The Severance Question - 13WHAM.com: "I did a story today on the superintendent's 'special assistant' who makes $102,000 a year plus full benefits and is only required to be in the office three days a week. I got a tip a couple months ago about Barclay-Manske's work hours. I FOIL'd her work schedule. The district gave me a letter from Brizard offering her the job. There is something in this letter which I did not get into in my story: The letter is dated June 1. Brizard says she must start by September 1, but he lets her pick her own start date. (She even gets a raise along with the other cabinet members, even if she hasn't shown up to work by July 1.) The start date is very significant, because the letter says her severance payments from the district will stop once she starts work. Yes, that's correct. She had been getting severance payments. According to several people with direct knowledge of the situation, including two board members, she was let go from the district in March 2008 for not meeting the administrative certification requirements of her previous job. Since she's a lawyer, you'd think there wouldn't have been any confusion over what kind of credentials were required."