Random Access

Perhaps as early as Aug. 23, Peel District School Board trustees will be considering giving themselves a raise from their current honorarium of $5,000 to a figure that is likely to be $25-26,000.
The timing, dictated by the Ontario Liberal government, is interesting to say the least.
The Liberals finally got around this year to keeping their 2003 election promise to review the paltry level of trustee remuneration that the Mike Harris government had imposed as part of its guerilla war against the educational sector.
The legislation sets a base salary of $5,900 for every board trustee, allows an escalator based on student enrolment, permits a $50 per diem for meetings and allows trustees to receive mileage in larger boards if they must travel more than 200 kilometres to attend. It also allows retroactive pay for the past 15 months.
Because Peel is the second-largest board in the province but has only 12 elected members, its politicians could well end up the highest paid in the province under the new formula.
Board Chair Janet McDougald says trustees could deal with the issue later this month when the board meets to consider its budget. It must deal with it by Oct. 31, which just happens to be less than a fortnight before the municipal election Nov. 13.
To ensure there is some public input into the decision, the government has mandated that a Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Honoraria be established, consisting of three parents on school councils and three community members of those councils (local residents who sit on the councils but don’t have any kids in the school).
Needless to say, getting a committee like that together on short order in the summer is a problem.
Will the prospect of seeing trustees significantly hike their salaries right before an election result in a host of new, angry candidates on the horizon?
McDougald doesn’t think so.
“Nobody does this for the money,” said the veteran Wards 1 and 7 trustee. “You really have to want to serve your community and have a deep interest.”
Plus, you really have to enjoy being the meat in the sandwich between the public and the rule-makers at Queen’s Park who love to make the decisions and let the trustees answer to the populace for them.
So trustees, go ahead and take your raise. Do it right before the election. Do it while you’re attempting the impossible task of bringing in a budget that’s balanced without enough revenue from Queen’s Park to cover your costs.
And, whatever you do, don’t fall back on that old, lame game of blaming another level of government for your woes.
Just take the money and run.... for election.