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BVSD school board votes to pay incoming members, approves Green New Deal resolution [1]
['Amy Bounds']
Date: 2023-11-28
The Boulder Valley school board voted 4-3 at its Tuesday meeting to allow incoming board members to request a stipend for their service.
School board members in Colorado historically have been unpaid, but a 2021 state law allows school boards to vote on compensation of up to $150 per day, for up to five days per week, for performing “official board duties.” That equals a maximum of about $3,000 per month per board member.
Since the law was passed, it appears only a small number of districts are paying board members. Those include Denver Public Schools, Aurora Public Schools — where pay goes into effect in July 2025 — and the Sheridan School District.
The Denver school board voted earlier this month to significantly increase incoming board members’ pay, approving a new annual salary cap of $33,000 a year per elected official, up from $9,000, as reported by The Denver Post.
Boulder Valley’s board member compensation will be more modest.
The district will pay board members $150 per day for up to five full days of service a month. That would add up to a maximum of $750 a month, or up to $8,250 annually based on the 11 months a year that the board typically meets. Board members will only receive compensation for days when official board duties are performed, which is defined as attending regular or special board meetings.
The stipends will be available to the four newly elected members, who haven’t yet joined the board and didn’t vote on the resolution. It won’t go into effect for the other three board seats for another two years, until after the 2025 election. Board members may choose not to request compensation.
Voting yes were Richard Garcia, Beth Niznik, Kitty Sargent and Lisa Sweeney-Miran. No votes were President Kathy Gebhardt, Nicole Rajpal and Stacey Zis.
Board members who spoke in favor at a study session earlier this month said offering a stipend could help with the financial constraints of serving on a school board, increase the diversity of the board candidate pools and boost the value of board service. Compensation, they said, could encourage more single parents and people of color to run for the school board.
Those opposed said they don’t want to divert any money from classrooms or salaries for district employees.
“I just can’t put the board’s interests in front of the interests of others in the district,” said Gebhardt, who noted the school district has many unpaid volunteers. “This job, while time consuming, is not all consuming.”
In other business, the school board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution based on the national Green New Deal for Schools proposal. The adoption came after months of advocacy from students.
“It’s not too radical, too big, too unachievable to want to have a livable future,” Fairview High student Molly Weber said at Tuesday’s meeting. “I also believe young people can make that change because we are showing up together.”
The Green New Deal for Schools calls for sustainable school infrastructure — including school solar panels and electric school bus fleets — climate curriculum, pathways to green jobs and climate disaster plans.
Gebhardt urged the students to take their advocacy beyond Boulder Valley to local governments and the state Legislature, saying most school districts in the state are struggling to pay teachers and don’t have the resources to add solar panels or buy electric buses.
“This is going to take an effort by all of us to be able to get to where we need to,” she said.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/11/28/bvsd-school-board-votes-to-pay-incoming-members-approves-green-new-deal-resolution/
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