You Paid For It: Former super's pricey physical

CHAMPAIGN -- When Arthur Culver was superintendent of Unit 4 Schools, he got a perk many other school leaders don't. When Culver took over the helm in 2002, his contract included a provision that the district pay for a yearly physical performed by a Carle or Christie Clinic doctor.

But in 2005, the district revised the contract, deleting the requirement that the physical be performed in Champaign. It also changed the language of the contract, requiring the district to pay for an "executive-style physical" each year.

A WCIA-3 News investigation revealed Culver used that privilege before he left the district in 2011. In May, Culver charged the district for a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Cost to the district included a $540 flight, a $200 a night hotel stay at a three-star hotel, and even an $80 tab for charges to his hotel room. In total, the former superintendent spent more than $1,500 in travel expenses alone, with a total for the executive style physical costing the district more than $9,000. 

Culver's replacement, Dr. Judy Wiegand, does not have a provision for an executive-style physical in her contract. State school leaders said the executive style physical included in Culver's contract is rare for superintendents.