Williamsville board votes to seek legal opinion on whether members can receive stipends

The Williamsville Central School District Board of Education voted 8–1 Sept. 9 to ask the district’s attorneys to research whether the board could lawfully provide stipends or other remuneration to board members.
Board member Mr. Manna introduced the request, saying the board should explore whether it "could and should receive some kind of stipend" and proposing an advisory stakeholder committee to consider whether the board "should" adopt remuneration if legally permissible. "Could we and should we receive some kind of stipend?" he asked the board during committee-of-the-whole discussion.
Miss Poulin opposed exploring the change and said it would send the wrong message about public service. "I have…my mission beliefs and belief statements. And the very first one of them says, it's our highest priority. And I don't think looking to get remuneration for myself as a board member is putting students…bettering the outcome for students," she said.
Other trustees said they supported researching the legal process before making any recommendation. Miss Blockinger and others favored getting a legal opinion so the board could understand whether a local process or community vote would be required. The board president called for a roll-call vote; the motion to seek the legal opinion carried 8–1. The president said the motion passed and the board will request an attorney opinion and then decide whether to form a stakeholder committee to study whether to pursue a stipend.
The board did not adopt any stipend or change compensation at the meeting; the action is strictly a request for legal research. If counsel concludes a stipend is legally feasible, any future proposal would require additional public steps, potentially including a local charter or voter approval, a trustee said.