The amount of money involved seems relatively small. For the Culver City School District, the stipend is about $240 a month, per member.
But, it does add up, eventually costing the taxpayers about $15K annually for all 5 members.
There is no mandated accounting system in place for the spending of stipends.
In past years, the public has trusted School Board members’ own personal discretion in spending it wisely.
But if a School Board member spends his/her stipend on something other than School Board business, it follows that it would leave little or no money for Board business.
That might lead to a member putting in for School District reimbursements that otherwise would have been covered by stipend money.
They Bought What?
Some of the members’ rationale behind their spending choices seem to have broken with the historical practice of previous School Boards, going far beyond the public’s expectations.
Some members seem to be thinking of their stipends as “pocket money.” They rationalize that it is perfectly acceptable to buy clothes or even to use their stipend money to pay insurance co-payments.
Check or Cash?
How is a School Board member reimbursed for claims of out-of-pocket expenses?
Out of petty cash or by School District check?
If it is by check, then why is there no public record showing an accounting of it?
Without a public accounting, the public is left again in the dark, left only to trust that the unseen reimbursements of School Board members really are valid.
Ethical Questions
— The lack of formal guidelines in stipend use has led some members to somewhat dubious spending practices-which raise these questions:
— What are the public expectations and historical precedents attached to receiving a stipend?
— Is it ever appropriate for a School Board member to freely spend the given stipend money on personal business?
— Is there a time when an unspent portion of a stipend becomes the personal “stash” of Board members that can be spent like one’s pocket money, without restrictions?
Stipends should not be used to pay for personal items unrelated to School Board business.
A stipend is not a personal allowance.
It is not a salary or wage.
A stipend is given to Board members, and there are public expectations that come along with accepting it.
Public Trust Broken
The public’s trust has been broken, and it is being taken advantage of due to the lack of oversight and clear guidelines.
The School Board should publicly review past historical practices and discuss the Public’s expectations and establish formal guidelines in clarifying, for current and future members, on the appropriate use of their stipend money.
