Spend the dollars on education

To the Editor:

Excerpts from the Clay Community Schools Corporation Policy Handbook concerning Compensation of Members of the Board of Trustees.

1350 -- Compensation

Each member of the Board of School Trustees shall be compensated for his/her services at the rate of two thousands dollars ($2,000.00) per annum.

All board members may be reimbursed for expenses incurred while traveling on school business or attending meetings or conferences relative to their school board responsibilities.

Mileage shall be reimbursed at a rate to be determined by the Board of School Trustees.

Now, the board seems to have voted themselves a raise and a flat rate for attending meetings, which doesn't take into account mileage at all.

I have to ask, did they not know when running for a position on the board that they would have to invest some time?

If the board believes that $2,000 per year is not just compensation for their time, why not change this policy and raise the amount instead of tying a stipend to the number of meetings that they can control?

If it is a matter set by law, how can they justify circumventing the law by a stipend?

Why remove mileage as a factor in the calculations?

Education dollars are for education, not for the profit of the board. Serving on the board is an honor and a privilege, but it is not a moneymaker.

Leo L. Southworth,

Brazil