To the editor:

I am writing to express my disappointment with the Journal-World’s front-page article of Oct. 1 regarding local school district salaries. Local administrators were deemed overpaid because they make more money than administrators in significantly smaller districts and more than the average Kansas wage.

Assuming for the moment that publishing the salaries serves a legitimate journalistic purpose, certainly directly comparing Lawrence school district salaries with those of Baldwin, DeSoto, and Eudora does not. Further, the statement that administrators (plural) “are being paid as much as four times the average Kansas wage” is clearly intended to be misleading and inflammatory when only one administrator falls in that category

What legitimate purpose is served by comparing school administrators’ salaries with surgeons, clergy, funeral directors, et al? Mildly interesting, at best, but it’s used in the article as apparent proof that our administrators are overpaid. Much more meaningful comparisons are available. An article comparing administrative salaries in other districts of like size with similar enrollments would be informative. And, if Lawrence salaries are out of line, that’s newsworthy. However, unfair comparisons and misstatements are not representative of the fine journalistic reputation that the Journal-World has earned over many years.

Dave Adams,

Lawrence