Surrey school trustees voted themselves a $200 per year pay decrease Thursday night.
The seven-member board will now receive an annual rate of $30,200 – down from the past year’s salary of $30,400. (The chair and vice-chair of the board of education get an extra $3,000 and $1,500, respectively).
Trustee pay is reviewed each year and is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Vancouver. While the rate has increased steadily over the years, this year, it decreased 0.8 per cent.
In accordance with district policy, it was recommended that the pay for Surrey trustees be reduced to reflect the CPI change.
“I believe that this is the correct thing to do,” said Trustee Charlene Dobie.
Last year, trustees increased their pay by $560 per year, and the year before, $66 per year.
Trustees in Coquitlam, where there are nine trustees, but fewer students and a smaller budget, are the highest paid in the Lower Mainland, with a base rate of $36,675.
