BURST
Vancouver school trustees have voted to increase pay for future boards, with larger raises for the chair and vice-chair positions, drawing criticism as the district faces budget pressures.
Under a new remuneration policy approved this week, the school board chair will get 30 per cent more than other trustees beginning after the fall municipal elections, while the vice-chair will get 15 per cent more.
The board chair’s annual remuneration will increase to $54,100 — up about 34 per cent from the current $40,315. The vice-chair will earn $47,800, up about 21 per cent from $39,448.
Trustees will earn $41,600 annually, up nearly 12 per cent from the current $37,215.
COPE trustee Suzie Mah was the only vote against the pay increases, arguing the move undermines the board’s credibility at a time when the district is grappling with financial pressures and service reductions.
“We just passed the budget where we all agree that our district is underfunded,” she told the board in a meeting Wednesday. “We should not be prioritizing ourselves over students.”
Mah noted the district recently approved an $826-million budget that includes the loss of a district teacher-librarian position and youth and family worker positions. She proposed deferring the remuneration decision to the next board, but trustees rejected the idea.
Other trustees said it would be inappropriate for an incoming board to set its own remuneration, and that higher pay could attract more qualified and motivated candidates.
Green trustee Janet Fraser, who serves as vice-chair, said the approved increases were lower than figures initially discussed at committee, which considered differentials of 40 per cent for the chair and 20 per cent for the vice-chair.
“I’ve been the chair and the vice-chair, and it is a lot more work than being a trustee,” Fraser said. “I think it’s an honour to serve, but it’s also time. And I don’t think we should undervalue the time of people who are doing this work.”
The policy says trustee pay was adjusted based on inflation, using the Consumer Price Index, and that the larger increases for the chair and vice-chair recognize the additional duties and workload associated with those roles. It also calls for remuneration to be reviewed during the final year of each board term and benchmarked against other Metro Vancouver school districts.
The pay hikes would place Vancouver trustees above counterparts in Richmond, Langley, Burnaby and Abbotsford, though below Surrey trustees, who earn about $48,000 annually, and Coquitlam trustees, whose earnings top $69,000.
The Vancouver board chair would earn $54,100 a year — just shy of Surrey’s board chair, who receives $55,212 annually.
The remuneration debate comes as the Vancouver school district faces mounting financial pressures driven by declining enrolment and a drop in international students, who generate higher tuition revenue.
The 2026-2027 budget, approved last month, added 20 full-time equivalent education assistants to support a growing number of students with disabilities or diverse needs, along with increased hours for supervision aides.
But, the budget also estimates teacher staffing could be 39 full-time equivalent positions lower than this school year, based on enrolment projections.
In an interview, Mah said the money should be kept in classrooms where it’s most needed.
“It’s really upsetting to me,” she said. “It’s just the optics of it and the fact our government has frozen our funding. How can we go ahead and give ourselves that kind of pay raise when all of these other cuts are happening?”