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After public comment, Anaheim board directs staff to revise bylaw on trustee pay for missed meetings
Summary
A public speaker cited Education Code concerns over paying trustees who miss meetings; the board discussed bylaw 92-50 remuneration, staff said remuneration resolutions have not been used since 2019, and trustees asked legal to draft a revised policy for October consideration.
A public comment at the Sept. 10 Anaheim Elementary School District board meeting prompted a detailed discussion about trustee compensation and the district’s bylaw on remuneration.
Resident Mark Lopez asked whether Education Code section referenced in his remarks (transcript: "35 1 20") requires a board-approved resolution to compensate a trustee for missed meetings and urged the district to align practice with state law. Lopez said some districts enforce attendance-based compensation and framed the request as a matter of transparency and stewardship of public funds.
Superintendent Jesse Chavarria responded that staff researched the matter and found the last remuneration resolution on record dated 2019; nonetheless, for the past five years staff said the district has routinely paid trustees for months in which a trustee was absent. Chavarria explained the current practice and asked whether the board wanted staff and legal counsel to reexamine bylaw 92-50 and propose changes.
Trustees discussed options including continuing the prevailing practice, drafting a policy that permits automatic payment (with the option for individual trustees to decline payment), or enforcing strictly bylaw requirements that would require separate resolutions for payment when a trustee misses meetings. Several trustees expressed a preference for a compassionate approach that recognizes trustees’ other district and community duties. Board President Juan Gabriel Alvarez directed staff and legal to draft proposed amendments and return with recommendations for an October board meeting.
What’s next: Legal and fiscal staff will draft potential bylaw language and present it for board consideration at a future meeting (staff proposed October). The board discussed that, if enforced retroactively, the bylaw could require reimbursement for past payments — a change staff indicated would be part of legal review.
