Board votes down denying pay for members

A motion by Carlton school board member Eryn Szymczak for no board member pay in 2022 died for a lack of a second Monday, when board members held their organizational meeting.

“With our budget deficit, this could really help put some money back into the school system,” said Szymczak, referring to the ongoing annual budget deficits of nearly $1 million a year and the board’s recent decision to continue with both a high school and elementary school in the district, which will make drastic cuts a necessity.

Longtime board member Tim Hagenah motioned to continue with the same school board pay as last year: $1,000 per year with an additional $40 per meeting. The motion passed 5-1, with Szymczak the lone “no” vote. Compensation for mileage was set at 58.5 cents per mile, the IRS standard rate.

Hagenah said he takes the salary, but often doesn’t include extra meetings or mileage on his invoice. “We do put enough time into this position to at least get some type of compensation, just like anyone else who works in a school or any other organization,” Hagenah said in response to Szymczak’s motion.

Board chair Julianne Emerson said she feels the compensation helps level the playing field for potential board candidates, and keeps the board from being limited to those who can “afford” to serve. Board members who want to return the payment to the district can do that, she said.

“But there are people who may want to run and it could make a difference in their worlds to have mileage reimbursed in order to make meetings,” she said. “It could provide a broader range of folks who then run for school board.”

Carlton school board officers will remain the same for 2022, with Julianne Emerson serving as chairwoman, Sam Ojibway as vice chair, Tim Hagenah as treasurer and Susan Karp as secretary, following Monday’s organizational meeting.

Board members also kept meeting days and times the same, after discussing consolidating meetings into once a month. The board will continue to hold its regular meetings on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. with a finance committee meeting the same day at 6:30 p.m. Due to public holidays this month and next, the board will meet in January and February on the third Tuesday instead: Jan. 18 and Feb. 22. Committee of the whole meetings will still be held at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. The board retreat was set for July 11 this year.

The board designated Rupp, Anderson, Squires & Waldspurger, P.A. as district legal counsel and the Pine Journal as the district’s legal newspaper.