Indicted Detroit Principal Claims Robin Hood Status, Collected Six-Figure Paychecks

Last month the Detroit Free Press published a sympathetic story by columnist Rochelle Riley about a Detroit Public School principal named Kenyetta Wilbourn who pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges. Wilbourn used her position to put relatives on the payroll, took kickbacks from vendors and wrote fake grant requests.

Wilbourn, who said in the story she considered herself like Robin Hood, was also quoted about her own financial problems: “We’re talking about systemic poverty and what does that look like?” she said. “Yes, I may have a Gucci bag or a pair of Cartier (glasses), but I don’t have any money for an emergency.”

ForTheRecord says: Riley’s story doesn’t mention Wilbourn’s salary.

In 2009, Wilbourn earned $79,876. She got a slight raise to $81,046 at the start of 2010, and then a big one later that year — $31,000 — that lifted her pay to $112,083. Her salary was $110,013 when she resigned in 2012.

The median household income in Detroit during those years was $26,325.