The Windham Southeast School District board is asking the voters to approve stipends of $7,000 for regular board directors and $9,000 for the chair of the board.
The Act 46 merger - which combined four separate school districts (Putney, Guilford, Dummerston and Brattleboro), each with its own board, into one district-wide board - has impacted the breadth and depth of board responsibilities, while also increasing time commitments to an extent that few could have anticipated.
We understand that stipends are far from being the primary motivation for serving the school district.
At the same time, economic adversity should not be an obstacle for anyone who wants to do so.