School board trustees get fewer benefits than council members in T.O.

A stipend and medical insurance come with the job, but trustees in Conejo Valley UnifieSchool District don't receive lifetime benefits or retirement asome city council members do.

CVUSD school board members are paid $536 each month. They also receive medical coverage, prescription benefits, and dental and vision insurance. Eligible dependents of board members may also receive benefits.

Coverage is available the first day of the month after a trustee takes office.

Insurance is paid 100 percent by the district, which covers the $986.17 monthly premium for each board member enrolled in its health and welfare fund.

"We put the same amount in for each board member because we're self-insured," said Kathie Amos, who works in payroll for the district. "They have an option for coverage, but we put in the same amount to cover all premiums and claims."

The board members aren't covered by life insurance.

"The district supplies life insurance based on wages, and, although (trustees) are paid, it's not considered a salary," Amos said. "It's a payment, although it is considered taxable."

Amos said the district previously provided board members with life insurance, but it was discontinued at least 10 years ago.

The school district doesn't provide lifetime medical insurance for board members or anyone in the district, regardless of how long they've served.

There are rules in place that say board members elected before "sometime in the '80s," Amos said, have access to retirement benefits through the state retirement system. The only trustees who've been serving since before the change went into effect are the two members stepping down at the end of this year: Dorothy Beaubien and Dolores Didio.

Beaubien has retired from the district as a teacher and may already be receiving those benefits, so the option would only be available to Didio. If Didio chooses to contribute to the fund, the district would more than match it.

"We exceed what an employee pays into the system, which is set by state law at what I believe is 7 percent," Amos said.

Because of privacy laws, the district cannot reveal whether Didio took up the offer with the state's Public Employees Retirement System.

The district also pays Social Security for board members, who also pay a portion, which comes out of their stipend each month.

Board members have the option of deducting additional money from their stipend for accident insurance through a private vendor—the district's selfinsurance doesn't offer it.

"We provide the service of having it deducted, but the insurance is provided through a separate company," Amos said. "It's a private plan between the person and the vendor."