The Board of Education Thursday night voted to give itself an increase in the per diem each member receives for attending regular meetings and work sessions.
Currently and for many years, school board members have been getting $50 per regular meeting and $15 per work session. By a 5-0 vote, the board voted to raise their per diem to $150 each per regular meeting and to $25 each for work sessions or special meetings. They will not receive the workshop pay for any work sessions held on nights when regular board meetings are taking place. Regular meetings are held once per month.
Board members Danny Parkerson, Kate Miller, Shaun Tubbs, Doug Stephens, and Jerry Wayne Johnson all voted in favor. Board members W.J. (Dub) Evins, III and Jim Behsearse were absent.
The issue has been discussed by the school board in work sessions over the last several months and more money was added to this year’s school budget to pay for the per diem increase with the budgetary line item for this expense going from $6,000 to $18,900 this year.
While the increase matches what the county commission earns for regular meetings, school board members decided to keep their workshop pay under what the county commission gets for committee meetings. County Commissioners receive $150 each per regular meeting and $75 for committee meetings.
In other business, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps gave his monthly personnel report to the school board.
Terry Emberton has been hired as a custodian at DCHS and Kristin Sain as an educational assistant at Northside Elementary School. Julie Hale has resigned as an educational assistant at DeKalb West School.