School Dist. 5 Gives Initial Ok to Pay Board Members
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson School Dist. 5 approved a motion on Tuesday, pending legal review, to become the first district in the county to pay board members. Board members will be paid $300 per month, and the board chair will receive $350 per month if the process clears review.
The motion to pay board members was made by Harold Kay, who has served a single term for Seat 5, Area 2 in 2002 and was reelected to the seat in 2014.
“Being on the board is a pleasure,” said Kay. “We’re more engaged than just coming to these meetings. We do things on a daily basis. We visit schools, we answer emails, we talk to our constituents, we go out and see things for ourselves. And at nighttime, if you're like me, some of these things are running back and forth through our minds. And I think at some point, we need to be compensated, even if it's something as minuscule as paying for our gas, an amount.”
Board Member Bill Thompson, at large, said that while the request for paying board members was reasonable, he would not take a salary to serve on the board. Thompson made a motion to table the move, which failed to pass with Thompson, and board members Tripp Dukes, Troy Haguewood, and Cindy Burriss voting to postpone the approval of salaries for the board.
Under the plan, board members could refuse the salary or designate it to charity. Thompson and Dukes said they would not take a salary to serve on the board and Board Member Tommy Price said he’d have to ponder whether or not he would take money for serving.
Board Member Rick Bradshaw said he probably would not accept the money, but that his service on the board sometimes required him to take vacation from his job, which cost him money.
The board approved an amended motion by a 5-4 vote to move forward with paying the board members pending a review of the legalities and district policies.
Under the plan, board members could refuse the salary or designate it to charity. Dukes added his name to those who said they would not take a salary to serve on the board, and board member Tommy Price said he’d have to ponder whether or not he would take money for serving.
Currently 28 school districts in 13 counties do not pay board members, including Spartanburg, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington and Florence.
Of the 45 districts that pay, the Greenville County School District pays the most with $13,762 for board members and $15,370 for the chair. Florence Dist. 2 pays the least, with board members earning $30 per meeting and the board chair $50 per meeting.
A complete listing of school board salaries in South Carolina can be found here.
