School board needs charter change for raise

Decatur’s city charter likely needs revision if the city’s school board wants a stipend increase. Superintendent David Dude said recently he believes changing the ordinance would ultimately need approval from the General Assembly.

The board makes $50 per meeting, which comes to roughly $1,000 annually. The charter says the board can set its “per diem of not less than $15.00 and not more than $50.00 for each day of attendance at meetings.”

These include regular meetings, work sessions and special called meetings, but not executive sessions, which sometimes last for hours.

The charter does allow for the commission to vote itself a raise. In fact, on Aug. 7 commissioners approved their first raise in 23 years, with commissioner pay jumping from $4,800 to $12,000 annually and the mayor improving from $6,000 to $15,000.

So far board members haven’t settled on how much of a raise they want. The current $50 limit was likely set decades ago when commissioners appointed the school board.

“Most board members still want it to be a volunteer assignment,” Dude said. “They’re interested in covering expenses like child care during meetings. It’s not about the money. The main thingis that [the low pay] is not a barrier to attracting strong candidates in the future.”

This year only Heather Tell qualified for the seat being vacated by Bernadette Seals. Incumbents Annie Caiola (chair) and Lewis Jones are unopposed. BILL BANKS FOR THE AJC