School Board Stipends Will Not Increase
Nova Scotia school board members will not see an increase in stipends and expense payments for the next four years, Education Minister Jane Purves said today.
School board members now get up to $7,200 a year - or up to $9,000 and $12,000, respectively for vice-chairs and chairs - plus expenses for travel and professional development.
"We appreciate the important contribution of school board members to the public education system in Nova Scotia," said Ms. Purves. "However, we want to make sure every dollar goes to the classroom, and given our current fiscal pressures, it is not the right time to increase stipends."
The Department of Education gave school boards $764,000 last year to cover stipends to board members.
In addition to the annual stipends, board members get 31 cents a kilometre for travel, a per diem meal allowance of $30, an annual conference travel allowance of $1,600, and a supplementary travel allowance of $10,000 per board. The rates are uniform across the province.
The minister and the Nova Scotia School Boards Association jointly appointed a Department of Education financial official to review the issue. In his report, Joe MacEachern recommended against any increase in stipends.
"It is the opinion of this reviewer that no adjustment should be made to the current levels of school board member stipends or expense reimbursement," said Mr. MacEachern, noting that school board members are not paid stipends in the other Atlantic provinces.
Board members attend full board meetings at least twice monthly, serve on ad hoc committees, and keep in touch with constituents. They also research and review educational issues and allow travel time to attend meetings.
Prospective school board members must file nomination papers today (Sept. 18), to serve as candidates in the school board elections on Oct. 21.
After October, Nova Scotia will have up to 107 school board members serving on five regional boards, two district boards, and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.