A job or a civic duty? Colorado weighs paying school board members
A proposal working its way through the Colorado General Assembly would allow school board members to be compensated for their service for the first time.
Author: Erica Meltzer (Chalkbeat Colorado)
Published: 2:54 PM MDT April 7, 2021
Updated: 2:54 PM MDT April 7, 2021
DENVER — More than 60% of students in the Roaring Fork School District are Hispanic, but when Jasmin Ramirez was elected in 2019, she and fellow board member Natalie Torres became the first Latinas to serve on the school board.
Like all Colorado school board seats, it’s a volunteer position that comes with no pay. That sacrifice became even more challenging when Ramirez’s husband lost his income during the pandemic. At the same time, she felt like she brought valuable perspective on the issues facing Latino students — from parents facing COVID risks at work to lack of internet at home — that other school board members lacked.