On Wednesday, the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees will look to increase their pay.
If approved, the school board pay would jump from $400, which has been in effect since 1984, to $2,000. It would add $94,000 to the general fund.
According to the staff report:
Prior to January 1, 2026, Education Code section 35120 provided that: 1) for a district the size of Antioch Unified School District a $400 monthly stipend is authorized; and 2) the stipend can be increased by 5% per year. Current Board Bylaw 9250 contains this language and authorization. The monthly amount in Education Code section 35120 has been $400 since 1984, and the authorization to increase it by 5% a year took effect January 1, 2002. Many districts, including AUSD, have had the monthly Board member compensation set at $400 for many years, never increasing it despite the statutory authorization to do so.
In 2025 the Legislature adopted AB 1390, which took effect January 1, 2026, and revises Education Code section 35120 to now state:
“In a school district in which the average daily attendance for the prior school year was 25,000 or less, but more than 10,000, each regular member of . . . the governing board of the school district who attends all meetings held may receive as compensation for the regular member’s services a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000) in any month.”
The Antioch Unified School District’s average daily attendance for the prior 2024-2025 school year was 13,699.79. Therefore, the Board is authorized to increase monthly compensation to $2,000.
AB 1390’s legislative history describes the public policy rationale for this increase. In addition to noting that monthly amounts have not changed in over 40 years (and many districts did not increase the amount by 5% starting in 2002), the bill’s author states:
“Serving as a school board trustee is a demanding role that requires a great deal of time, research, training, public engagement, and commitment. While the responsibility of our school boards has grown exponentially in recent years, the levels of compensation limits have not been adjusted to reflect this or take into account inflation. AB 1390 will enable school district and county boards of education to set compensation levels to help retain experienced board members and encourage more community members to consider running for vacant positions on local boards. In some districts, the level of compensation makes it harder for individuals who are supporting themselves and their families to consider serving on a board. While helping to ensure students and their families are represented in key decisions affecting their district and its schools, AB 1390 also preserves the public process that a board must currently follow to adjust its compensation levels.”
If You Go:
Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees
January 28, 2026
07:00 PM
District Office Board Room | 510 G Street,
https://youtube.com/live/mVnpRuiJiTU
Agenda: Click Here
Resolution: Click Here
