Sunday, November 21, 1999
Pay boosts for teachers, school boards proposed
Better, more varied selection hoped for
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ohio lawmakers are considering two bills that would boost pay for school board members and rookie teachers.
Higher pay could attract more and better school board candidates and teachers, said Rep. Ray Miller, D-Columbus, who introduced the bills.
“Education is young people's passport to the future, so teachers should be paid accordingly,” Rep. Miller said. “For school board members, it's simply a fairness issue. Eighty dollars a meeting is not fair for the amount of time most school board members put in.”
Teachers in 15 of Ohio's 611 school districts had base salaries of less than $20,000 this year, none in Southwest Ohio, according to the Ohio Education Association. Under Mr. Miller's proposal, salaries would start at $22,000.
School board members can make up to $80 a meeting, plus mileage, by state law. In Cincinnati Public Schools, that averages about $5,000 a year.
Mr. Miller's bill would boost pay to $10,000 a year in Ohio's eight biggest urban districts (including CPS), $7,000 a year in 13 other urban districts (including Hamilton and Middletown) and $5,000 a year in others. Board presidents would get an extra $2,000 a year.
By contrast, Cincinnati City Council members will make $50,945 next year; the mayor will make $54,445. Many obscure state boards that meet once a month pay members $5,000 or more, plus travel expenses, a per-diem allowance and state health benefits, Mr. Miller said.
Some local school board members say higher pay could draw more varied candidates.
“People do not, nor should they, run for this position for the compensation,” CPS school board member Harriet Russell said. “But you just don't want retired people doing this job. You want people who will be able to take time away from their regular employment, and they should be compensated for that time.”
Others worry higher pay could draw candidates with questionable motives.
“People should be interested in the education of all children, not money,” said Candace Koch, Batavia school board president. “The school board is one of the few public positions that isn't tainted by politics, and it should stay that way.”
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