School District 83 Board of Education: Back row- Barry Chafe, Chris Coers, Michel Saab, Bobbi Johnson, Bob Fowler. Front - Larissa Lutjen, Kelly Rowe, Jenn Wilchuk and Debbie Evans.
Image Credit: School District 83
March 11, 2016 - 11:30 AM
NORTH OKANAGAN - Board of education officials in the North Okanagan-Shuswap are turning the subject of school related cuts on themselves.
The School District 83 board voted Tuesday, March 8, to review the number of trustees and look at reducing them to seven, from a current nine.
The North Okanagan-Shuswap has the most trustees of any Okanagan school district. The Vernon, Central Okanagan, and Okanagan-Skaha School Districts all have seven trustees. The Kamloops-Thompson School District has nine.
“We’ve talked about it many times in the past,” School District 83 vice-chair Michel Saab said. “Let’s commit to the process and then figure out how.”
Financial statements from 2015 show the highest paid trustee was Chris Coers, who collected roughly $13,600 in remuneration. The lowest paid were Laurie Myers and Holly Overgaard, both with just over $5,300.
Trustees are also paid back for work related expenses, such as travel. Board chair Bobbi Johnson had the highest expenses, with just over $6,300 and trustees Overgaard and Myers with the lowest, at $35.
Overall, the board was paid a total of about $113,000 and just shy of $23,500 in expenses.
Trustees are in charge of hiring principals, vice-principals and administration, as well as creating policy, approving courses and lobbying government. Click here for our story on just what a school trustee does.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016