The school attorneys' high salaries caught the eye of City Council President Anna Verna during the hearings.
"I just can't fathom what they do seven or eight hours a day, five days a week," Verna said. "That's something that I would definitely want to look into."
Others have begun questioning why a district that pays its teachers among the lowest salaries in the region, and which this year will spend nearly $2.9 million for assistance from private law firms, must pay its in-house attorneys so much more than other city lawyers.
"Since the state takeover of the school district, there has been this strange spending culture that's happened for a select group of people at 440," Helen Gym, a founding member of Parents United for Public Education, said, referring to the school district's North Broad Street headquarters.
"There's a certain amount of entitlement that's expected," she said. "And I think it contrasts greatly with the level of poverty that's happening in the schools. And that ranges from a very expensive School Reform Commission to a general counsel that's really overpaid."
Swirsky, the second-highest-paid school district employee behind interim CEO Tom Brady, makes $236,900 a year. The average salary for her 18 lawyers is $101,000.
By comparison, City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith makes $174,494, and the 152 attorneys in her office average $78,181, according to Smith, whose office represents the city in a broad range of civil matters.
Abrahammakes $156,441. While the starting salary for assistant D.A.s is $48,975, Abraham's spokeswoman Cathie A. Abookire could not provide an average salary for the 304 assistants in the office.
