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Details of 2011 gross incomes of all PCC employees were posted on the school’s official website last week after public record requests came from media organizations and the state controller’s office.

The detailed report was prepared in response to two California Public Records Act requests received from two news watch agencies, California Watch and Bay Area News Group. According to General Counsel Gail Cooper, both entities were seeking employee’s complete compensation information from the last year. The request was sent to all other community colleges as well, Cooper said.

“In addition to the District’s legal obligation to provide the information to these agencies and to the state controller’s office, the District also owes the public, the employees and the students, complete transparency in the use of public funds and has therefore made the information readily accessible on the PCC website,” Cooper said.

Some faculty and staff were unfazed by the posting. However, some were worried that their privacy in terms of financial details had been breached.

Corina Santillan, a Piazza cafeteria worker said she didn’t take it personally, but that her income was a “private matter they didn’t have to bring up.”

Matt Henes, a math instructor, was surprised to hear about the publication of data through the news media.

“I’m not happy. I feel we should at least have been notified,” Henes said. “It would have been a lot better with me if I were told first rather than finding out in the Pasadena Sun.”

According to PCC President Mark Rocha, who made $261,845 last year, the compensation report was not compiled out of spite.

“The administration did not produce this information voluntarily,” Rocha said at an Academic Senate meeting on Monday. “We did it in compliance with the law.”

Board of Trustees President Geoffrey Baum said that once employee W2’s were put together, the document would need to be shown to the public at the earliest possible time.

Allegations have arisen, however, claiming that the information was shown to the public on last Wednesday’s board meeting in order to divide faculty and students in light of recent heated protest on budget cuts.

In the report, William “Rod” Foster, an instructor in the Visual Arts and Media Studies made a total of $196,050, including benefits, last year and ranked second to Rocha in wages.

“I had 2,000 students in my classes. I taught 20 classes,” Foster said in an email. “Ten is a full load for full-time faculty. I generated approximately $1 million in Full Time Student Equivalent appropriations and tuition.”

Faculty Association President Roger Marheine said that teachers made a lot because they were told that if they wanted more money, they would have to work overloads.

“The faculty in addition has not had a raise for six years,” Marheine said.

According to Cooper, the administration was given a bit over a month to prepare a complete report of compensation salaries. Upon completion, the report was on display for the board and the public just as any other report of significant fiscal information.

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