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Teacher asks Hermiston School Board to begin discussion on compensating future board members
Summary
At the Aug. 11 Hermiston School District board meeting, teacher and resident Roy Barone urged the board to begin a conversation about providing future board members with a modest stipend, saying compensation would broaden recruitment and reflect the time commitment required.
Roy Barone, a teacher at Morin Larvie Middle School speaking as a constituent, urged the Hermiston School District Board of Education on Aug. 11 to begin discussing compensation for future board members.
"Serving on the school board is far more than attending 2 meetings a month," Barone said. "It's reviewing hundreds of pages of budgets, policies, contracts, and student data. It's making decisions that directly affect the education of thousands of students, the safety of our schools, and the employment of hundreds of staff." He asked the board to start the conversation about compensating board members beginning with future terms, not current members.
Barone said meetings often run late into the evening and that compensation could reduce barriers to service, permitting people who are not retired or financially secure to serve. "A modest stipend could make this possible, ensuring that the board reflects the full diversity of Hermiston," he said.
Chair Hurst thanked Barone for the comments and observed the topic had been contentious at the state level the prior year, with legislative discussions that ultimately did not produce a change.
The statements were made during the public comment portion of the Aug. 11 meeting; the board did not take formal action on the request that evening.
Why this matters: Barone framed compensation as a governance and equity issue, arguing it would improve recruitment and retention for a board that oversees a district with a multi‑million dollar budget. The board did not adopt policy or direct staff to prepare an ordinance or ballot measure that night.
What was not decided: No motion or vote on board member compensation was introduced. Barone specifically asked that any stipend apply to future terms, not current members.
Provenance: The remarks were made during the public comment period and appear in the meeting transcript beginning with Barone's introduction and continuing through his closing request for the board to begin the conversation.
