Divided Clark County School Board approves pay raises for trustees
July 27, 2007 - 9:00 pm
Clark County School Board trustees gave themselves a raise Thursday night.
In a 4-2 vote, with one trustee abstaining, board members decided to allow themselves to choose how much they'll be paid each month, as long as their increased pay doesn't put the board's budget in the red or exceed the $750-a-month maximum set by the Legislature.
Board members had been paid between $80 and $85 per meeting and averaged about two to three meetings a month.
But trustees often put in 20 hours a week, said board member Mary Beth Scow, who supported the pay increase. Some board members won't be able to seek re-election because of term limits and higher pay will help ensure the quality of the board is maintained, she said.
Trustee Carolyn Edwards also supported the raise, but said she would have preferred the Legislature provide money for higher pay along with permission for the pay increase.
"There is a big difference between not supporting an unfunded mandate from the Legislature and believing I'm worthy of compensation," she said.
Also voting in favor of the raise were Board President Ruth Johnson and Terri Janison.
Trustees Larry Mason and Shirley Barber opposed the pay increase.
"We should stop playing with our teachers and give them the money they should be given," Barber said. "In a state as rich as Nevada, especially in Las Vegas, we shouldn't have to deal with the problems we do. Teachers shouldn't have to worry about having two to three jobs."
Mason, who participated in the meeting via phone, acknowledged the hard work and long hours board members put in, but added, "I wasn't in it to make money. I never have been. The volunteering, the public service, that in itself is compensation."
Trustee Sheila Moulton abstained from voting. She had proposed an alternate plan of incremental pay raises, starting at $510 a month in September and rising to $750 a month by January 2009.
A new state law requires that Clark County School Board members receive a raise to $750 a month on Jan. 1, 2009. But trustees were given the option of voting to implement the raises before that date. The new law allows trustees to return all or part of their pay to the district.
District Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Weiler said he believes there are enough unspent funds in the board's budget to allow trustees to accept raises.
The School Board saves a substantial amount of money because trustees can be paid for up to six meetings a month, but they rarely meet that frequently.
Previously, any unspent money was returned to the general budget. Now, any leftover funds will be redirected toward increasing trustees' compensation.
Some people at the meeting voiced opposition to the raises, saying there aren't enough resources going to the students or the teachers.
"You are not here for personal gain," said Constance Kosuda, a retired lawyer. She told the trustees they knew it was a "volunteer" position when they sought election to the board.
Michele Cotterman, a PTA member at Cunningham Elementary School where her daughter is in the first-grade, was shocked to learn board members were paid at all.
The PTA is a voluntary position, she said.
"We do it because it is our right, our passion, our responsibility," she said.
Cotterman encouraged board members to take advantage of the option to donate their compensation to the schools.
Las Vegas resident Eleanor Chow said the pay increase was long overdue.
"When you're a board member, this is a business and you have a deep responsibility," she said, challenging the people in the room to put in the time and effort trustees do and not be compensated.