The hypothetical cost of implementing a Kansas House bill enabling local school districts to pay elected board members $20 per hour for a commitment of less than two hours a week would cost taxpayers $2.8 million annually. Adopting the change would break a 50-year precedent in Kansas law that made local school board members volunteers without a salary, but the idea seemed to make sense to Rep. Kristey Williams, chair of the House K-12 Budget Committee. She said during a Tuesday hearing the legislation could serve as a token of appreciation for board members and affirm the value placed on work to improve education of children in public schools. “We don’t have this restriction on municipalities or counties,” Williams said. “Do you think paying someone could at least give them the sense that they have a greater obligation to be informed?”
Source: Kansas Reflector
