Trustee remuneration will be going up by more than $3,700 a year in the Quesnel School District.
Board policy now states that Trustee stipends will be tied to the consumer price index in December annually and that they will be reviewed every four years and adjusted to match the average of similar sized districts in the province.
Board Chair Lisa Boudreau says it won’t be for the current trustees however.
“This not come into place for this Board. This will come into play on January 1st of next year after the new Board is in place. And I do think percentages don’t really tell the whole story, so I do want to share with you the actual numbers. The Board remuneration will move from $15, 240 annually to $18,990 annually. This change reflects the average among seven comparable districts.”
Boudreau says future reviews likely won’t see larger increase like this.
“As far as I know a comprehensive review like this hasn’t been done in this district. So going through this we’re recognizing the Trustee compensation has really fallen below average. So likely this is going to be the only time we see a jump like this, and moving forward it’s going to be small I’m sure.”
By comparison, Trustees in the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District will still make more than those in Quesnel.
The seven zones make between $18,864 and $21,781, although it wasn’t one of the 7 districts that the Board compared to as it is bigger in terms of the numbers of student and the budget it manages.
Boudreau says it is important that Trustees are fairly compensated for a number of reasons.
“To be a Trustee is a huge privilege. You either need to be retired, not working, or you need to have a flexible schedule. And with an election coming up in October, we want to make sure that this role is accessible and attracts a diverse range of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We need good people at that table. We need people that are willing to come in and put the time in and do the work.”
Boudreau says it’s okay to disagree and ask questions and hold different opinions, but the reaction to this decision hasn’t been great by some in the community.
“It’s a good time to take the opportunity to remind the community and the public that it’s not okay to approach us or our families or our children by yelling and swearing and being disrespectful. All of us as Trustees, we’re always open to communication, you know our emails are all open on the website, we’re happy to talk in time. Me personally, I have four teenage boys who are on social media, and they can see my picture with rude comments, inaccurate, inappropriate information. It’s hurtful and it becomes personal.”
Boudreau says the concerns also tell her that as Trustees they still have more to do in helping people understand what the role of a Trustee is, and what the time commitment looks like.
The vote was 5-2 in favour of the increase with Trustees Tony Goulet and Honey Affleck opposed.
The School Trustee pay hike in Quesnel isn’t sitting well with teachers.
Dawn Rodger, the President of the Quesnel and District Teachers Association, not only questions the amount but also the timing.
“We are down four teachers next year due to declining enrollment and being in funding protection. So when you’ve gone from school to school the day before, it was to share where we were with the budget and all of the constraints that needed to be put in place. And then the very next day the Trustees gave themselves this raise.”
Rodger says they have no problem with trustees getting paid a fair wage for the work that they do, but they would actually like to know what that work is and how much time is being spent doing it.
“I would like to know how many meetings people are attending, how much time they’re putting into the work of being a School Trustee. I would like to see the province look into the efficiency of school boards and what is actually happening, what work are they actually doing.”
Rodger says they have been unable so far to get an answer on the question of what trustees do to earn their money.
She closes by saying that it’s inappropriate for Trustees to be voting on their own increase in the first place, and she feels there needs to be some oversight from the province.
