Public school governance: board member compensation.

Assembly Member Solache, joined by Assembly Members Carrillo, Jackson, Blanca Rubio, and Ávila Farías, proposes substantial changes to compensation structures for California's education board members through legislation that would increase monthly payment caps from their current range of $60-$1,500 to $300-$7,500.

The bill establishes tiered compensation limits based on student attendance figures, with larger jurisdictions authorized to provide higher compensation. For county boards of education, maximum monthly payments would range from $800 in smaller counties to $3,000 in the largest. School district board members could receive up to $300 monthly in districts with fewer than 150 students, scaling up to $7,500 in districts serving more than 60,000 students. The legislation maintains existing provisions that reduce compensation proportionally when members miss meetings, though absences for illness, jury duty, official duties, or board-approved hardships would not affect payment levels.

The measure includes mechanisms for periodic compensation adjustments, allowing boards to implement annual increases of up to 5% with governing board approval. For county boards, these increases would be subject to potential voter referendum. Additional provisions address mileage reimbursement for official duties and compensation options for student board members, including both course credit and financial payment as determined by their boards.