Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Elk Grove trustees debate large stipend increase under new state law
Summary
Trustees discussed implementing AB 13 90, which would allow board stipends to rise from $750 to as much as $3,000 a month (and up to $4,500 if district ADA crosses the higher tier). Trustees split over optics, timing amid budget pressures and whether to adopt code-based tiers or a fixed stipend with periodic review.
Board President Albayani opened a lengthy discussion on AB 13 90 after staff presented recommended bylaw edits to implement the law’s new limits on trustee compensation.
Superintendent Riley summarized the statute and the subcommittee’s recommendation to adopt the Education Code’s ‘up to’ amounts tied to prior-year average daily attendance (ADA), noting that the change would require board action to implement. He said the district’s current stipend policy dates to 1991 and that adopting the CSBA/Ed Code option would raise the monthly stipend from $750 to $3,000 for districts in EGUSD’s ADA range, with a prospective increase to $4,500 if ADA exceeds the next statutory threshold.
Trustee Susan Davis framed the measure as an equity remedy: “AB 13 90 is not about mandating raises or personal gain. It’s about removing structural barriers so service is accessible to people without financial privilege,” she said, arguing a larger stipend makes board service feasible for working-class residents.
Union and staff concerns about optics and timing were raised. A bargaining-unit representative warned that “the 400% increase from $750 to $3,000” could be seen as poorly timed while the district addresses budget pressures and staffing changes. Several trustees agreed the increase would look large in headlines; President Albayani said, “That’s a 400% raise, and... that is gonna be the title when the news comes out.”
Trustees split on technical implementation. Some favored option 1 tied to the Ed Code tiers (allowing automatic movement to higher maximums if ADA crosses a threshold), saying the statute’s tiered ‘not to exceed’ language gives clear guardrails. Others favored option 2: set a fixed monthly stipend (for example $3,000) and revisit it on a multi-year timetable to avoid yearly salary-style adjustments and repeated optics debates.
A number of board members endorsed protections: limiting annual automatic increases, tying any future increase discussions to what bargaining units receive, and maintaining excused-absence rules. Trustees agreed on two points: pay the student board member for the nine months they serve (the subcommittee suggested $400/month), and schedule a formal review of the policy in two years.
No final action was taken; the board directed staff to return the item as an action item with written options for a future vote. The superintendent provided a fiscal estimate showing the increase to $3,000/month would raise annual trustee compensation from about $63,000 to roughly $252,000 (a net increase of about $189,000), funded from the general fund if adopted.
