That increase in honoraria for school board trustees - just went down the drain

By Staff

October 3, 2014

BURLINGTON, ON.

You might have heard the howls at some kitchen tables this morning when the 11 men and woman running for a seat on the Halton District Public School Board (HDPS) read in the Globe and Mail that the province had ordered all the school boards in the province to forget any plans they had to increase the honorarium paid to school board trustees.

Burlington has 11 school board trustees who are paid x$13,158. . That was to increase to $16,770.
At a school board meeting on September 3rd, the Trustees approved a new rate for trustee honoraria that takes effect December 1, 2014 when the 2014-2018 Board begins its term. Trustees will receive annual honoraria of $16,770.35 while the Chair will receive a total of $24,738.95 and the Vice-chair a total of $20,754.65.

And that was the picture until yesterday when the Premier, Kathleen Wynne told her Minister of Education that any increases in honoraria to trustees that were to take effect in December 2014 were to be cancelled.

Running as school board trustees are: Mary Dilly, Leah Reynolds, Andrea Grebenc, Michael Kukhta, Denise Nacev, Timothy Timar, Kristen Lockhead, Richelle Papin, Margo Shuttleworth and Amy Collard. Ms Collard was acclaimed.

So trustees that get elected on October 27 will get the old rate of Honoraria which is made up of a base amount $5,900 and an enrollment amount of $7285 for a total of $13,158 each year. There are no benefits nor is there a pension plan for trustees – teachers apparently don’t want to share a good thing.

Link:

The job of a school board trustee.