Examiner: Rushern Baker's Nonprofit spends more on payroll than students, teachers

Nonprofit spends more on payroll than students, teachers; IRS forms show group run by Prince George's candidate racking up deficit.
Examiner, 23 Jul 2010 (Peterson).

An educational nonprofit run by Prince George's County executive candidate Rushern Baker spent $96,866 in direct funding to students and teachers in 2008, and nearly $400,000 in payroll, taxes and benefits — including a $102,000 salary for Baker, according to newly filed financial records.

Baker's Landover organization, Community Teachers Institute Inc., updated its financial records with the Maryland Secretary of State's Office on Wednesday — one week after The Washington Examiner reported the nonprofit was in violation of state law by failing to update its records since 2006

The institute brought in roughly $524,600 in 2008 and ran a deficit of $136,880, according to Internal Revenue Service forms obtained by The Examiner. Between 2007 and 2008, Baker gave his finance director and marketing director each a $10,000 raise — paying them $67,658 and $60,000, respectively.

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On his Facebook page, Baker told followers he went eight months without pay from the institute. The Examiner could not confirm the docked pay, however. The tax forms do not show any salary reductions.

Four days of phone calls, messages and e-mails to the Community Teachers Institute and its finance director, Vernita Johnson, were not returned.

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