School Board members endorse increase to remuneration policy following report from staff

Not everyone was on board or had a comment towards the overall plan, but by the end of the February 20th Schools District 52 Board meeting, it was decided that  the payday money transfers will be a little more generous for Board members. 

With the increase to salaries that was approved retroactive to the start of this year.

After some discussion on the process and with the Board members observing of their transparency on the topic over the review period, the schedule of pay was set with the new pay levels per year as follows:

Board Chair position  -- $16,363
Vice Board chair post -- $14,768
Trustee positions         -- $13,575 

Some in the community may look at the Board's theme of transparency with a raised eyebrow mind you.  

While the Board members did speak to the topic at their January session,  the Board is somewhat selective as to what work they want to highlight through the year. 

Few items of Board decisions or review are actually noted through the School District website, or social media pages. 

The main access to their work that which is listed in Agenda packages and the occasional mention of when the meetings take place. 

When it comes to the topic of the pay review, it's likely that few in any outside of the school community had awareness of it up until the vote of last month.

The genesis for the increase came out of a report from Acting Secretary Treasurer Brittney Verissimo, who had compiled data from across the Northwest to provide for the comparison template for the SD52 recommendations.

The financial package is one that also includes an annual stipend of 900 dollars towards travel costs incurred by the Board members.

SD52 Board Chair Kate Toye was one of a number of the School Board 
 members to speak to remuneration policy at the February meeting

Towards discussion, the only member of the Board to express hesitancy towards the salary increases was Trustee Janet Beil, who noted she would rather see the money put back into the schools, but understood the direction the report was guiding the Board towards. 

"I did oppose an increase in remuneration because it takes away from our student's body ... I realize that we do a lot of extra work for the board, I realize we travel, we take that  time away from our jobs and I look at that and I don't see that its a huge increase. So how can I say I oppose something that impacts everyone with the cost of living and the expected travel on us" -- Trustee Janet Beil

Other Board membrs also shared their thoughts on the increases proposed.

"I also believe it's done in a fair way and we've averaged from the other districts and so I believe it's  a fair way of doing it and I agree that it's correct"-- Trustee James Horne

"I would just like to share that, that I'm thinking long term ... I do not plan to be on this Board forever, someone else will come into this role and for a trustee to have to vote on to make things come up to the cost of living, if this current board doesn't follow a process that sees a gradual increase.  Is a hard place for a new trustee to be"   -- Board Chair Kate Toye

Trustee Maier asked for some clarification towards the timeline of the review of the remuneration review, observing that they never voted for increase before, it was built into Board policy.

In reply Trustee Beil observed  that the process used this year was new.

"This is something new, it's usually a policy. But that's fine Brittney, I like the fact that we are being a transparent Board and that you've given us all the information that we need to make you know an informative decision.  

And I don't think considering what it is, I totally agree with Kate, in the future Boards' need to be able, we need to have people at the table that want to be here right. 

If we have young families, that  have to take time away from their jobs and we're not going to get the people sitting here to support student needs and I'll leave it at that" -- Trustee Janet Beil

Trustee Maier observed how its a welcome process to have the salary structure included as part of the public record from their work on the night.

"When I became a trustee I had no idea what the pay was and I could not find it in any minutes for like ten years. 

And so it was kind of like,  just like they're here's your paycheque and I was oh thank God I got something, because it's a lot of time.  And so I had no idea, it could have been two hundred bucks I had absolutely no idea.

So I'm actually very  glad that it's in a public package and it's now in a public minute. So that people that want to run and want to make change, know what they're going to be paid for their time"

Reviews of the compensation plan will come each year.

You can review the full discussion to the topic from the SD52 Board video starting at the one hour, eleven minute mark  of the February session.

Additional information on the Board's pay and other compensation elements can be reviewed from the Agenda for the February 20th gathering.

Our look back at the February Board meeting can be explored here.

More notes on Education in Prince Rupert can be reviewed here.