Knowing your school district’s superintendent, particularly his or her academic background, may be more important than you think.
Here are two story ideas from Poynter’s Al Tompkins and journalist Nanci Wilson from Al’s Morning Meeting:
- Superintendent Salaries: The Texas Education Agency’s Website provides superintendent salary data, sorted by district. Wilson calls the salaries “exorbitant,” with far greater increases than any teacher’s salary in the state. Conduct an online search to see if salary data is available for your state.
- Diploma Mills: With online college degrees becoming more common, college degrees are more easily attained. Wilson found a superintendent who received a doctorate degree online in only three days. Here’s a list of the more disputed online universities in Texas. Where did your school officials earn their degrees?
It will take some initiative on your part, but investigative reporting can be one of the best and most important parts of being a journalist.
- Amanda Smith
