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Delegation Hears Case To Raise Anne Arundel School Board Pay, Moves Vote to Next Week
Summary
Sponsor Delegate Heather Bagnall presented HB436 to raise school board member pay (members to $23,000; vice president $24,000; president $25,000) and increase the student member scholarship to $23,000 beginning 2029. Long-serving board members testified in favor; the delegation moved the bill to next week for a vote.
Sponsor Delegate Heather Bagnall told the Anne Arundel County delegation on Feb. 6 that House Bill 436 would modestly increase compensation for board of education members and expand the student member scholarship, steps the sponsor said are necessary to attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
Under the proposal presented by Bagnall, annual salaries for board members would rise to $23,000, the vice president’s pay to $24,000 and the president’s to $25,000. The bill would also increase the student member scholarship from $15,000 to $23,000 beginning in 2029. Bagnall framed the change as ‘not a leap’ but a step to reflect the time commitment and responsibilities of board service.
Two long-serving members of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education testified in support. Joanna Tobin (District 6) said the work has become close to full time and that current compensation effectively limits candidates to those with independent means. Dana Schellheim, the board’s longest-serving elected member, said higher pay would make service more accessible to lower-income residents, parents and members of historically marginalized groups; she also provided context on the scope of board oversight, citing an operating budget of $1,900,000,000 and a capital budget of $231,000,000.
Delegates raised questions about benefits and staff support. When asked whether board members can access county health insurance, Tobin said no, and added that board members lack dedicated staff and offices, which increases the workload borne by individual members. Delegates also asked about constituent correspondence and the daily workload; Tobin responded that members handle multiple contacts per day and do not have personal constituent-service staff.
After testimony and questions, the chair said HB436 will be moved to the Feb. 13 meeting for a vote or amendments; no final action was taken on Feb. 6.
