How Much Should SCUSD Board Members Earn?

Trustees on the Sacramento City Unified School District's Board of Education get iPads, but not life insurance. They also make decisions for one of the largest school districts in the region, and until recently, were the highest paid.

According to a Sacramento Bee analysis comparing school board member stipends, trustees for the school district that includes Rosemont made about $788 a month until February, when they voted to reduce that amount to $630. That number will put their pay below trustees in San Juan and Twin Rivers, who make $750 a month–but it will be more than trustees in Elk Grove, who are paid $622 each month.

Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David Gordon defended trustee pay amounts, according to the Bee.

"People underestimate the number of hours a really diligent school board member puts in," Gordon told the Bee. "The board members I've worked with put in 20 to 30 hours a week easily."

And in the Sacramento City Unified School District, those hours include lots of extra training.

"That district tallied up $49,249 in expenses in the 2010-11 school year, nearly $46,000 of it for 'board development workshops,' " the Bee reported.

Rosemont, what do you think school board trustees should earn? Should they receive extra incentives like health benefits, iPads and training? Does the recent vote by the Sacramento City Unified School District trustees put their pay at a fair amount? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.