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Rules Committee advances charter amendment to raise school board pay, add training and change funding rules
Summary
The committee advanced a charter amendment to increase Board of Education compensation, add training requirements and require the city to appropriate funds until Proposition 98 shortfalls are repaid; the committee will forward the measure with planned amendments addressing funding and benefit provisions.
The Rules Committee reviewed a proposed charter amendment that would increase compensation for members of the Board of Education, establish training and professional development requirements, and require the city annually to appropriate funds to the school district to pay members' salaries until the state repays Proposition 98 shortfalls.
Board of Education member Jill Winns told the committee she supports placing the charter amendment on the ballot and urged that a previously removed provision on lifetime health benefits be returned to the charter language under consideration; Winns cited examples of other districts that provide lifetime health benefits after extended service and suggested a shorter threshold (for example, 16 years) could be appropriate. Winns said she and district leadership are open to removing the provision that would require the city to pay salaries until Proposition 98 shortfalls are restored, adding that the district could pay the stipends directly.
Several public commenters raised concerns. Nancy Cross questioned whether conditioning pay on a minimum number of training hours per year is appropriate without evaluation of members’ prior competence and asked the committee to consider an assessment or placement approach. Thomas Picariello opposed the charter amendment on funding and governance grounds and said that the Civil Service Commission (transcript used a different term) typically regulates salaries and might be a better forum to set pay scales.
Supervisor Farrell raised budget concerns, citing a controller estimate the change could cost more than $227,000 annually and warning the measure could open a ‘‘Pandora’s box’’ of other bodies seeking compensation increases. In response, Supervisor Kim said possible changes under consideration include removing subsection d so that salaries would be funded by the school district rather than the city and possibly adding a 10‑year sunset if city funding is maintained.
The committee voted by unanimous consent to forward the charter amendment to the full Board as a committee report without recommendation. The full Board is expected to consider the item at its next hearing; the chair also indicated she will introduce additional amendments on Tuesday.
