The new chair of School District 43 doesn't think trustees will be getting a large bump in wages next year after a hike in January of this year boosted their salary by 5%.
"Not unless the other municipalities get a good raise," said Judy Shirra, the Port Coquitlam trustee who was acclaimed as the board chair last week. "If it's just the cost of living [city councillors] get, ours won't go up."
According to the latest Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) report for the 2013/'14 school year, Tri-City trustees earned $38,449, with former board chair and PoMo trustee Melissa Hyndes earning $42,294.
The payout represents a 5% hike over the 2012/'13 school year because trustees' pay goes up automatically each January if there is any increase in council pay in Port Coquitlam, Port Moody or Port Coquitlam.
Shirra said the pay is acceptable for the work trustees do. "The job description doesn't reflect the amount of hours you put in," she said.
"I will defend it because, look at our budget and staff compared to cities," Shirra said. "And let's hope the new [trustees] we've got involved are the kind of business people we need for the district."
She also said it's better that the salary is adjusted automatically in January so changes can be incorporated into the budget without large jumps that might otherwise occur if trustees were to hold off on increases and then play catch-up.
"It looks like you're getting $8,000 or $9,000 at once and that's not fair - it distorts the process."
By comparison, trustees in Vancouver, B.C.'s largest district, are paid $24,897 and the chair makes $26,972; and in Surrey, the province's second largest district, trustees earn $30,800 while the board chair makes $33,800.
CHINA VISIT
The SOFI report also notes that Hyndes visited China on behalf of SD43 at a cost of $11,387 paid by the Chinese government, with her remaining expenses totalling $1,005; as well, former trustee Holly Butterfield (Anmore/Belcarra) reported $400 in expenses while two other former trustees, John Keryluk (PoCo) claimed $192 and Brian Robinson (Coquitlam) claimed $25. The remaining trustees had no expenses.
