Family Taxpayers Foundation

Jack Roeser: Pioneering Transparency

From School Reform News:

Entrepreneur Jack Roeser has pioneered and honed the work of posting teacher salary information on the Internet. His Champion Foundation Web site has chronicled public education employee payouts in Illinois since 1999.

Roeser launched the project after a telephone conversation with a Chicago reporter who quoted to him incorrect teacher salary figures provided by school district officials. Having collected the data from the Illinois Department of Education for many years, Roeser decided in 1999 to give the information a bigger platform.

In 2006, more than a million unique visitors searched the Champion database for Illinois public schools employee salary information.

"It's building a grassroots following. People in districts around the state have picked up their fights," Roeser said.

Roeser believes his project has lifted the fog of confusion and misinformation surrounding public educators' compensation. The site shows the average 2006 employee salary exceeded $60,000 in more than 100 Illinois school districts. In nine districts, the average salary was greater than $80,000, excluding fringe benefits.

"It's exposed the myths that teachers are paid poorly," Roeser said.

Click here to read the article.

Posted May 18, 2007.