St. Paul school board members voted unanimously Tuesday night to raise their own salaries to $18,000, saying a pay increase is long overdue.

School district staff said board member salaries haven’t changed since 1988.

Six of seven board members will see increases of $7,200. The board chair, who today gets no differential pay, would get an $9,200 bump, to $20,000.

“We haven’t kept pace for 31 years,” said Steve Marchese, who is running for a second term on the board in November.

Calling it “an important equity issue,” Marchese said higher pay would enable lower-income residents to run for office.

Board member Marny Xiong said the job is supposed to be part-time but board members work long hours.

St. Paul board members also are eligible for subsidized district health insurance, which is uncommon among similarly sized districts. The board rejected an option Tuesday that would have eliminated that benefit.

At the new rate, total board member compensation will “lead the market,” human resources director Kenyatta McCarty said.

Minneapolis school board members make $22,000 and Anoka-Hennepin $14,400. A number of other suburban districts that St. Paul reviewed pay less than $10,000.

TAX LEVY

Board members on Tuesday also reviewed a proposed 5 percent, or $9 million, increase to the property tax levy for next year.

That would cost the owner of a median home — valued for tax purposes at $199,800 — assuming a 7.3 percent market value increase, $36 more than last year.

A commercial property valued at $525,000, assuming a 6 percent market value increase, would pay $142 less than last year. Related Articles St. Paul district to wait on reopening schools, citing lack of staff

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The board typically raises the levy as high as permitted under a state formula.

Noting higher city and county taxes, as well, board member Jon Schumacher lamented the need to raise property taxes again to fund the school system.

“We are mindful of the fact … that we are gradually making it difficult for families to live in St. Paul,” he said.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the amounts by which school board members’ salaries are increasing and the proposed levy’s tax impact on commercial properties.