School Board Supports Pay For Members

CENTRAL — The Central Community School Board voted Monday to spend $64,000 out of its $30 million-a-year annual budget to provide each of the seven school board members with a $7,800-a-year expense allowance.  However, two board members immediately gave notice that they would not accept the allowance, and a third board member said he would donate the money to the new Central Education Foundation for scholarships for Central students.

Out of the 70 school boards in Louisiana, Central was the only one that did not provide either a per diem or an expense allowance for its members.

The resolution as introduced would have set the expense allowance at $800, the maximum permitted by state law.  However, new board member Jim Lloyd offered an amendment to reduce that amount to $650, which he said was the average paid by the other 69 parish and city school boards statewide.  The amendment was adopted without opposition.

The other new board member, Roxanne Atkinson, moved to delay the expense allowance from going into effect until a new school board takes office in January 2015.

Mrs. Atkinson said, “When I decided to run for the school board, I was aware there was no compensation, and I told voters that I would not accept compensation.  Since then, I have come to realize how much work is involved in serving on the school board, and I believe some compensation is justified.  However, I made a commitment to the voters, and I intend to honor that commitment.”

Mrs. Atkinson’s attempt to delay the proposal until January 2015 failed.  She later voted against the resolution and filed a formal notice, as required by state law, that she would not accept the expense allowance for the remaining three and one-half years of her four-year term.

School board member Will Easley also gave formal notice that he would not accept the expense allowance.  However, he voted for the proposal, saying that it was well justified by the long hours put in by board members and that it was costly for many members to serve because of the expense involved and loss of income.

Board member Jim Lloyd defended the idea of having an expense allowance for board members, even though he will not keep his.  “We have a board with 150 years of education experience and 75 years of business experience.  They bring a lot of wisdom and objectivity.  They have given thousands of hours of struggle and stress.  This small amount is reasonable and customary for school board members to receive,” he said.  Lloyd said he would donate his allowance for scholarships for Central students.

Board member and Finance Committee chairman Dr. David Walker said he had looked at the cost of providing the expense allowance and concluded that the school system could afford it.  “We are running a $500,000 surplus,” he said.

Walker said he had asked many people in the Central community what they thought about the idea of providing an expense allowance.  “Most thought we already get compensation,” he said, “ and every one of them said we should do this.”

School board member Sharon Browning, who served as board president for two years, said, “The four of us from the original school board have served four and a half years without compensation.  What started as a volunteer position has become much more.  I understand volunteer.  I’ve been a volunteer all my life.  But this has become very demanding, sometimes three meetings a week, answering the concerns of parents, grandparents, employees, and others.”

Mrs. Browning said, “No one loves this school system more than I.  I’ve taught in Central schools most of my life.  I think it’s important to realize that this system is run on a non-political basis.  If someone calls me and says, ‘I need a job for my grandson,’ I have to tell them that’s not how our system works in Central.”

“We have an Human Resources Department, and they make recommendations to the principal, who ultimately makes hiring decisions.  When you evaluate school board members, I hope you will remember how important it is to have independent, fair-minded people on this board with character and integrity.  Think about what kind of job this board is really doing, and I think you will agree that they should have a small expense allowance,” she said.

School board member Ruby Foil, also a life-long educator and former principal at Bellingrath Hills Elementary, said. “Everyone compares volunteering to service on the school board.  In volunteering, you pick and choose what you will do.  On the school board, you’re required to deal with everyone and make decisions on controversial issues.  It costs a lot of time and money.  It’s not like volunteering.”

Mrs. Foil said, “I have visited 90 to 95 percent of the homes in my district, and not one person said, ‘We don’t want you to be paid anything.’”

“For those who say, ‘You knew what the pay was when you ran for the job,’ true, but when we hire a teacher and he signs a contract, do we say they can’t get a raise, because, ‘You have a contract!’  No, we provide a raise if it is warranted.  When we were appointed to this position by the governor, no one had any thought of getting paid, but it has evolved into a different thing.”

During the public hearing on the proposal, opposition was expressed by Jon Simmons, Gerry Edgens, Dr. Keith Holmes, Wayne Leader, Mike Mannino, Tiffany Whitehead, Rodney Bonvillain, and Stanford Palumbo.  Dave Freneaux questioned whether there had been adequate notice given.

Speaking in favor were Linda Summers and R. J. Saucier.

Public Opposition. Simmons said the Central Community School System was modeled after independent school districts in Texas, where most school board members serve without pay.  He asked why the proposal had not been referred to a committee.

Dr. Holmes, who is the only member of the board’s Finance Committee who not a member of the school board, questioned the wisdom of the expenditure.  He said that, while there is surplus, the school system is acquiring an unfunded liability for future retirees’ health benefits.  He said if the board were to receive an expense allowance, it should be no higher than Baker or Zachary school board members, who are paid $500 a month, he said.

Mannino said he appreciated the work of the school board but asked whether the controversy was worth the gain.

Ms. Whitehead said she had no problem with board compensation but that it should be for future boards.  “You should not vote for your own raise,” she said.

Bonvillain said he was against the City Council getting paid also.  He urged that the proposal be referred to a committee.

Public Support. Speaking in support of the $650-a-month expense allowance, Linda Summers said she had been a teacher for many years, and the pay was very little, only $3,200 a year when she started.  “On our school board, we have people serving who are losing pay from their jobs, and they can’t afford it.  Why is the school board less important than the City Council?  The City Council is paid.”

“When you ask school board members to wait until 2015, you must remember, they’ve already served four and a half years without compensation.  No one said they would never be paid.  It’s really time to show our appreciation for all they have done for us.  We didn’t get here without a good school board,” she said.

R. J. Saucier said, “As soon as I think something is self-evident, the person next to me disputes it!  What have the men and women of the school board accomplished?  They’ve worked long, hard hours and achieved a lot.  Here are some of what they’re accomplished:

• Established a high quality teaching staff

• Developed student quality equal to any in the state

• Approved a $50 million upgrade in school facilities that was desperately needed.

“Now what they are asking for is token compensation.  Supporting this request is simply an affirmation that we appreciate their work,” Saucier said.  “This board deserves the compensation that is proposed.”

After the public hearing, the board members debated the proposal.  It was approved 6-1.  The vote was as follows:

FOR — Sharon Browning, Willard Easley, Ruby Foil, Dr. Jim Gardner, Jim Lloyd, and Dr. David Walker.

AGAINST — Roxanne Atkinson

The following board members filed in the minutes of the school board meeting a notice that they will not accept the expense allowance:

Roxanne Atkinson and Will Easley.

The following member stated that he would accept the expense allowance but donate it to the Central Education Foundation:

Jim Lloyd

PHOTO: Dr. Jim Gardner, president, Central Community School Board, during Monday night’s meeting

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News