Portsmouth board votes to add item on raising member pay; discussion to occur later

A majority of the Portsmouth School Board voted on Dec. 18 to add consideration of raising school-board salaries to a future agenda.

A board member moved to add an item to the agenda "to raise the current school board salary," and the motion was seconded by Miss Shumate. During brief discussion Miss Shumate said the change "will not be in effect until year 2027" and that some members wanted teacher and staff compensation adjustments to be addressed before changing board pay.

The clerk recorded the roll-call vote as 4 yes, 3 no and 1 abstention; the chair announced that the motion carried. The motion as made did not set an immediate new salary amount on the record beyond references during discussion that neighboring jurisdictions have raised board pay and that proposals being discussed would move member pay from the current $10,000 toward figures referenced in the meeting such as $20,000 and the chair's pay toward $22,000.

Board members who spoke during the discussion emphasized sequencing and fiscal context rather than immediate implementation. No formal salary change was adopted during the Dec. 18 meeting; the approved motion adds the topic for a future meeting where specifics and effective dates will be discussed.