Richland Two Board Policy limits the number of paid school board meetings.
After I heard a rumor this week about one board member who might bail when the board hits that number (after all, who wants to work for free?), I wondered how that Policy reads and also how many meetings the board has already had this year.
I didn't have to look far to find the Policy; it's on the agenda for the May 23 board meeting. Board Policy BID is Item 9.1 on the agenda.
Board members are paid $384 per board meeting, and the chair is paid $480. The limit of paid meetings is 30 in a calendar year (not to confused with the School Year).
By my count there have been 9 Regular board meetings and 11 Special-Called Meetings, including a workshop and a retreat. Approximately 38% of the calendar year has passed. Ten paid board meetings remain between now and December 31.
The board will obviously continue on an accelerated pace, because of the need to hire a superintendent. My guess is they will hit that 30-meeting limit about the time the School Year ends on June 30 and the optimistic hiring date for the new superintendent is reached.
There are 13 more Regular Meetings, including the Summer Retreat, already on the 2023 Schedule of Meetings, and the board no doubt add more Special-Called Meetings.
Previously, board members were paid a stipend of $800/month (and $1,000 for the chair), until the District woke up and realized it was out-of-compliance with state law when it paid a stipend, rather than a per diem. When the old board majority had to fix it, they set the current per diem rates in Board Policy.
Board income, whether stipend of per diem, is reportable to IRS and taxed as ordinary income.
