Burlington's newly elected public school trustees would be paid $9,000 a year under a revised Halton District School Board policy that brings the board in line with a new Ontario regulation. The pay applies to the term that starts Sunday, Nov. 15.
The biggest cut is at the top. The chair, who leads the board's meetings, now receives $24,806.64 a year. That would drop to $10,000, about 60% less. The vice-chair would get $9,500. Both roles earn a little more than the other trustees: $1,000 more for the chair and $500 more for the vice-chair.
Trustees are the elected members who set the budget and policies for the region's public schools, and their pay is called an honorarium. The new rule, Ontario Regulation 320/26, sets each member's honorarium, including the chair's and vice-chair's, at whichever is lower: $9,000, or the total of the base and enrolment-based amounts the board set for its members for the 2025-2026 school year.
The board's hands are tied, according to the staff report: "This is a mandated revision to the policy, as such there are no alternatives." The board won't keep any savings either. Staff say Core Education Funding, the province's main grant to school boards, will be adjusted to match the new calculation, so there is no direct financial impact.
The change will apply to Burlington's four trustees for the new term: Bika Diakoloukas for Wards 1 and 2 and Amy Collard for Ward 5, both acclaimed, along with Xin Yi Zhang for Wards 3 and 6 and Dania Thurman for Ward 4.
Trustees will consider the revised policy at their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre, 2050 Guelph Line. The meeting will be live-streamed on hdsb.ca and the board's YouTube channel. The new trustees officially take office at the board's first meeting, held within seven days of Nov. 15, once they swear a declaration.
