In a crowded boardroom including Orcutt residents and school district employees at last month's Orcutt school board meeting, board members voted to increase their monthly salary from $264 to $1200 dollars monthly.   
On the four to one vote, only thirteen-year board member Liz Phillips opposed the measure.   
          In her memorandum to the board, Superintendent Holly Edds referred to state legislation AB 1390 which went into effect this year.  She said the legislation “increases statutory maximum compensation for California school board members.” She indicated this is the first time the legislature has increased the amount board members may be paid in 40 years. The bill enables, rather than mandates, boards to raise their compensation.   
          According to the Assembly bill’s author, the legislation will enable boards of education to set compensation levels to help retain experienced board members, encourage diversity and encourage more community members to consider running for vacant positions on school boards.  
          Board president Melanie Waffle says the board is trying to stay in line with state policy.  “This was supported by the California School Board.  It’s a new policy for all districts in California. It looks extreme but we are trying to keep in line with state policy.”  
The amount of compensation a district allows is determined by the district’s Average Daily Attendance (ADA).   In Orcutt that number is just under 5000.  School boards can choose to implement the raises but are not required to do so.  
          The five elected school board members set policy for the district.  Waffle says she gets a district update from the superintendent weekly. “I talk with the superintendent three to four times a day.  This week I visited two schools and I have a school related appointment tonight in Los Alamos and yesterday I reviewed the monthly school board agenda with the superintendent.  Board members spend many, many hours each month working on board business.”   
             More than fifty community members including teachers and non-teaching employees crowded into the board room to express their opposition to the salary increases.
          Monique Segura, President of the Orcutt Educators Association representing teachers, said she was “extremely disappointed” that board members did not explain their rationale for their decision. 
          Shirley Juarez, president of the California School Employees Association (CSEA) representing the non-teaching staff, said she believes everyone deserves a raise, including board members, “but the significance of the raise does not sit well.  In fact, it really feels like a slap in the face.” 
          Several CSEA members held signs or wore shirts that said, “Students thrive when classified work.”    
          Other Santa Maria school districts have not implemented the salary increase.  The current salary for school board members in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District is $400 plus health benefits. The average daily attendance is 17,286. In the Santa Maria High School District, board members receive $240 monthly plus health benefits. Average daily attendance is 8403. Smaller districts in Santa Ynez, Buellton, Ballard and in the College district have board members who volunteer.
          When the tally was taken last month in the Orcutt School District Liz Phillips was the lone dissenting vote, “I had a strong conviction when elected that this is a service, and I have never been paid.”  
           Phillips says she understands the reasoning behind AB 1390. “It may encourage minorities and every member of the community, regardless of income, an opportunity to serve on their school board.  But I am also concerned some may run purely for financial reasons.”  
Steve Southwick reporting