The Williamsville School District is forming a committee to explore whether school board members should receive compensation for their volunteer service, a move that could change how the district attracts and retains leadership.
"I look at the value that a board member gives to this community," Mark Manna, the school board's vice president, said.
The district will establish a compensation committee to examine both sides of the issue before making any decisions.
I spoke with both board leaders about the proposal. Kaczmarek-Bogner explained the next steps.
"Our next step is now looking at should we?" Kaczmarek-Bogner asked. "I think it's an important part of this should, is hopefully what comes back from our compensation committee and what they think about the idea."
The board plans to gather community input to ensure a fair decision-making process.
"That's very important that you're trying to work directly within that community to have that input, so it makes a fairer decision," I said.
"Absolutely. I mean, that's what we talked about from the get-go," Kaczmarek-Bogner replied. "We typically operate with committees when we have these big decisions."
WATCH: Williamsville School District exploring whether school board members should be paid
Many New York State school board members work as unpaid volunteers, despite spending several hours each week on board-related work. Kaczmarek-Bogner tells me many members attend monthly meetings and spend hours preparing for them.
Manna compared the time commitment and responsibilities to other paid positions in local government.
"Well, I'd tell you that if you look at apples and oranges, right? School board members receive $28,000 a year. They don't care for their students in their district any more than any other school district does," Manna responded. "The Amherst board receives $35,000 a year in compensation. I served 8 years on the town board, and I can tell you the time commitment on the school board is the same as a council member at Amherst. So, is there some, nowhere near what Buffalo Amherst received, some small amount of compensation or stipend that is worthy and appropriate to recruit reward board members to run for office?"
Community members interested in joining the compensation committee can fill out a form on the district's website by December 15th. The school board president tells me they might be able to establish the committee by December 16th and expects the committee to hold its first meeting sometime this month.
"I think we'll have a diverse group who will really weigh the pros and cons," Manna said. "That's, as a co-chair, that's what I want to hear. I want to hear the good, the bad and the ugly, because at the end of the day, the board has to decide if we're to proceed or not."
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