The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has issued an opinion stating it is a conflict of interest for school boards to vote to give members stipends.
The commission offered several alternative options: Board members could vote to give future members a stipend, boards could bring the issue to a public vote, or members could recuse themselves and vote for other members’ compensation.
Oregon School Boards Association spokesperson Alex Pulaski said the OSBA feels a fourth option is the only practical choice.
“What we are telling our members," he said, "is we are advising them to hold off acting on the whole stipends issue and as an association we are going to be working with legislators in the short session in 2024 to try and find a legislative fix for this.”
Pulaski noted the other options are imperfect and could cause more problems. For example, a board that votes individually on member’s stipends could offer compensation to some members and not others.
Pulaski said some school districts hadn’t budgeted for the $500 per month stipends, so waiting for new legislation would not delay their timeline. He said the OSBA only offers guidance and school boards may choose to vote on stipends, per House Bill 2753, which was enacted in 2023, and effective in July.
The Eugene 4J school board had board member stipends on its agenda this week, and delayed the vote per OSBA recommendations.
Earlier this week, before the ethics commission's opinion was released, the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education asked for public input about providing a monthly stipend of up to $500 per month to school board members.
