Records about Kansas University Athletic Director Lew Perkins’ compensation package were delivered Tuesday to a Douglas County District Court judge, putting the university in compliance with an agreement reached nearly three weeks ago.

According to KU attorneys, the university and its athletic department provided Judge Jack Murphy with Perkins’ employment agreement, retention payment agreement, personnel file and paycheck data.

The handover is the latest development in an effort begun late last year by the Journal-World and 6News to examine public documents about the extent of compensation to Perkins, who has been athletic director since July.

After requests both from the newspaper and its attorney were denied, the newspaper and television station filed suit in late January asking the court to force the university to release the records, which the newspaper maintains are public under the Kansas Open Records Act. The act is the state law intended to ensure public agencies and those spending public funds conduct their business in public.

The handover was the result of an agreement reached June 3 among attorneys for the Journal-World, Kansas Press Assn., The Associated Press, KU and the KU athletic department. The press association, which represents news organizations across the state, and AP, the world’s largest news-gathering operation, joined the newspaper’s suit in April.

Under the agreement, Murphy will examine the documents as a step toward setting ground rules about how the case will proceed.

The newspaper and television station are seeking the information because they say state law makes clear such documents are to be public, and because faculty members and others from the university community have told the Journal-World the question of Perkins’ salary must be put to rest.

But the university has said such information is not required to be made public under state law. Base salary information for virtually all KU faculty, staff and employees is available through annual state budget documents, however. And the Journal-World has been given access to contracts for athletic directors at other universities in the Big 12 Conference.

KU again refuses to release AD salary (05-13-04) Perkins filling KU coffers (03-06-04) Journal-World, 6News file lawsuit to see KU records (01-31-04) Newspaper demands release of records (1-17-04) 6Sports video: Perkins’ compensation a mystery (1-17-04) KU refuses to release athletic-department salaries (1-6-04)

Because of the wide interest in matters relating to the cost of the athletic department and continuing state and university budget shortfalls, such disclosures are important and will continue to be sought by the Journal-World, its managers have said.

The university previously has disclosed that Perkins receives an annual base salary of $400,000 and fringe benefits that include two automobiles, family memberships to two country clubs and two season tickets to KU men’s basketball games.

The contract mentions that “contingent supplemental compensation is potentially available.” It has been said that supplemental income boosts Perkins’ annual compensation to about $1 million.