« Law - Still more on "Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody" | Main | Law - More on: SEC's Division of Enforcement issues a 122-page Enforcement Manual »
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Ind. Gov't. - "Attorney perks irk board member"
A story today by Jeff Burton of the NWI Times begins:
PORTAGE | Perks in a school corporation attorney's contract and discussion of that contract in an executive session sparked the ire of one Portage Township School Board member Wednesday night.Board member Cheryl Oprisko said a standing agreement to provide the district's labor relations attorney from the Gary-based firm of Friel and Friel with health insurance benefits and the administration's lumping his contract in with those of other school district administrators is a practice that needs to stop.
The school corporation has had the practice in effect since at least 2006, Superintendent Mike Berta said.
According to the current agreement, the school corporation pays the firm a flat $12,000 annually and an individual attorney with the firm an additional $28,000 plus about $20,000 in health benefits. The agreement, Berta said, guarantees the school corporation access to the attorney, a former teacher, for collective bargaining matters and also expulsion hearings.
Oprisko said the attorney is a contractor, not an employee and should not be receiving health benefits.
"$20,000 could have been used to buy books. My daughter's in a social studies class and she still doesn't have a book," she said.
School Board member Bill Fekete said School Board members aren't employees either, but are eligible to receive health care benefits.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 11, 2008 08:32 AM
Posted to Indiana Government