School District 27 trustees started their first regular meeting of the new year Jan. 31 in a semi-paperless way with new laptop computers and serious questions about the number of meetings they are expected to attend.
Some paper did come their way for late-breaking reports but the most contentious report of the night was a report by trustee Doug Neufeld proposing a pay increase for trustees.
The report, which included comparisons between stipends paid to trustees and those paid to Williams Lake mayor and council, was forwarded to committee for further review.
According to city records base pay is $43,688 a year for the full-time mayor and $15,240 per year for each city councillor.
Base pay for trustees is $16,000 a year for the chair, $13,500 for the vice-chair, and $12,500 for trustees. There are separate schedules in both cases for travel expenses and for attending conferences.
Neufeld said he would use his pay increase to buy computers for students, but thought an increase was needed because of all the time the trustees are taking out of their regular jobs to attend school district meetings.
Living in Williams Lake, Neufeld said he would quite happily meet in the evenings, but he was concerned that if all the meetings they have been attending were held at night, it would make for a long day for the rural trustees, some of whom have an hour to an hour-and-a-half drive to and from meetings.
A pay increase might also attract more people to run for trustee at election time, he said, in noting the low interest in the trustee elections last fall.
Five of the seven trustees are new to the board this year. Three of them were elected by acclamation and two ran in elections with only one opposing candidate.
Neufeld also pointed out that chair Will Van Osch works about two full days a week on school board business.
Neufeld and several of the other new trustees also asked staff if the number of meetings they have been attending is normal, because it wasn’t what they were told to expect.
Secretary-treasurer Bonnie Roller, who was filling in for superintendent Diane Wright, said that what the trustees were told is normally true, but during the past three years or so staff and trustees have been meeting more often because they are working on developing a long-term strategic plan for the district.
Lac la Hache Trustee Tanya Guenther said there are valid concerns about the trustee stipends, but she was concerned about the public perception of trustees considering an increase in their pay while teachers are taking job action.
A member of the audience echoed the concern during question period. He said it seemed ironic the trustees were looking at a stipend increase, while the province is pushing for a net zero pay increase for teachers.
Williams Lake Tribune