The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "salary records" ...
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America's Great State Payroll Giveaway
A state-employed psychiatrist in California made $822,000 by clocking in 17 hours every day last year, including Sundays and holidays. An employee cashed out with $609,000 for unused vacation when she retired, claiming she never took vacations in a 30-year career. A highway patrol officer collected $484,000 in salary, pension and leave payments. The chief money manager at a Texas pension fund got $1 million in salary and bonuses while posting investment returns that trailed those of peers who earned a quarter as much. Bloomberg News used freedom-of-information laws to obtain 1.4 million payroll records from the 12 largest states and show how taxpayers funded these out-of-control expenses and more, while at the same time states cut funding for universities, public safety, health care, schools and services aimed at the neediest residents.
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Connecticut Superintendents
Viktoria Sundqvist, investigations editor at The Middletown Press, submitted FOI requests for all school superintendent contracts in Connecticut and gathered these contracts into a searchable database. The contracts were analyzed and salaries, mileage, vacation days and other perks were analyzed and made available to the public, in addition to links to the contracts.
Tags: Schools; school superintendents; salaries; public records
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Playing with Fire
“Playing with Fire” focuses on a public board well out of the public eye, but one that could cost New Orleans taxpayers millions of dollars every year. After a month of digging through thousands of pages of records at the New Orleans Firefighters Pension Fund, WVUE-TV and Lee Zurik revealed questionable salaries, spending, and management.
Tags: broadcast; taxes; taxpayers; firefighters; salaries
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Playing with Fire
“Playing with Fire” focuses on a public board well out of the public eye, but one that could cost New Orleans taxpayers millions of dollars every year. After a month of digging through thousands of pages of records at the New Orleans Firefighters Pension Fund, WVUE-TV and Lee Zurik revealed questionable salaries, spending, and management. Among the notable discoveries: a $70,000 raise and $90,000 lump sum payout for the board Secretary-Treasurer/CEO; tens of thousands of dollars in questionable credit card charges by the board; and tens of millions of dollars in questionable investments. This last element is perhaps the most egregious for the citizens of New Orleans who are left to foot the bill for any pension fund shortfalls. This multi part series launched an investigation by the city’s inspector general, forced the board to change polices and led to charges filed by the state ethics board against two of the principals in our series.
Tags: New Orleans; taxes; taxpayers; credit cards
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2010 Public Salaries
Using the California Public Records Act, the Bay Area News compiled a database with the salary information of nearly one million public employees.
Tags: salary; public employee; pay; government worker; public records
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State Employees Salaries (Balancing Act)
This series analyzes the salaries of Minnesota's state employees and found that in the year before the governor instituted a state hiring freeze, about a third of the state work force earned more than $50 million in overtime pay. A handful of employees earned more in overtime pay than in regular wages. The analysis supported claims by employee unions that understaffing was driving up overtime costs. The series also revealed that faculty at state colleges and universities are earning significant bonuses for teaching online courses beyond their full-time course load. Two St. Cloud State University professors rank among the highest-paid state employees in Minnesota.
Tags: salary records; state government; state officials; hiring freeze; understaffing; wages; overtime costs; employee compensation
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The high price of Rutgers sports
For a decade, Rutgers Univeristy pushed hard to become a college football powerhouse. But a six-month investigation of Rutgers athletics -- including a new review of public records the university fought to keep confidential -- found big-time college football came at a greater price than the school disclosed and still refuses to fully document. The investigation found that Rutgers has hiked tuition, canceled classes and eliminated six other varsity sports while doubling its football spending budget; hid millions of sports expenses, including salaries and charter flights, from public view; rushed into a $102 million expansion of Rutgers Stadium to retain coach Greg Schiano and refused to reveal several other financial and fundraising efforts.
Tags: Rutgers University; college football; financial records; private universities; expense reports; stadiums
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Hospital Corruption: "Salaries First, Patients Last"; "Hospital Secrets"
The series exposed Schneider Regional Medical Center's top executives' self-dealing and lavish pay, perks and the tragic result: The public hospital's cancer center was left so cash-strapped it could not pay for medicine and radiation equipment. The Daily News also revealed that more than $2.4 million in charity donations to the hospital's cancer center is missing, and the hospital cannot produce documentation to explain the numerous large withdrawals from bank accounts and entities that were specifically created to receive those donations. The investigation also found that two top hospital executives had criminal records, which were not disclosed when they were hired.
Tags: health care; hospital administration; corruption; embezzlement; chemotherapy and radiation; Virgin Islands
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Overtime Overflow
"The story focused on the Rochester Police Department's overtime spending, which had spiked 46 percent in five years. Reporting showed retiring officers were using overtime to inflate not only their salaries, but also their pensions. The highest earners were also the top-paid city employees, pulling down six figure salaries working the department's front desk or coordinating parades and festivals. The report also uncovered that the city lacked clear policies and oversight of police overtime pay, unlike overtime in other departments."
Tags: police; city payroll records; overtime; corruption; local government; salaries; data analysis; public records
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Head Start salaries unreasonable; Head Start not enrolling number of kids it's paid to; Head Start agency rosters padded, ex-employee says; Local Head Start Agency chief set to take $81,829 pay cut; Head Start Conferences keep execs on the road
Using federal financial audits/statements, this investigation looks at the mismanagement of a local Head Start agency. It was discovered that many of the top executives at the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland, the largest Head Start agency in Ohio, have salaries much higher than other Head Start executives in different counties. As a result of this investigation, the executive director took a $82,000 pay cut and county commissioners are reviewing the executives' use of county money.
Tags: financial audits; open records laws; Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action; compensation; teacher salaries; executive salaries; Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland; nonprofit agencies