Letters: In defense of school lawyers

YOUR coverage of salaries in the school district law department omitted a number of key facts:

Unlike the salary of the general counsel, the salaries of the purportedly comparable public officials are set by City Council. The other purportedly comparable law departments include entry-level lawyers, who bring down average salaries. The school district law department has no entry-level lawyers.

The current school district general counsel, Sherry Swirsky, has more than double the years of experience of her lower-paid predecessor. Ms. Swirsky undoubtedly took a significant pay cut from her private-sector job.

I have known Sherry Swirsky for more than 10 years and have seen her in action. I'm also the mother

of a student who attends a city public school. While our city schools are woefully underfunded, that doesn't justify a cheap shot against an entire department of dedicated public servants.

Abbe Fletman, Philadelphia