Board Raises Monthly Stipend to $400 After Spirited Equity and Budget Debate

The Martinez Unified School District board navigated a packed agenda Monday night, swearing in a new student representative, unveiling a community-funded wellness center at Alhambra High School, and splitting sharply over whether to increase its own monthly compensation — a debate that laid bare tensions between fiscal caution after staff cuts and the desire to attract diverse candidates to an unpaid-feeling job.

• Board approves $400 monthly stipend on 4-1 vote after first motion to make it retroactive fails 2-3
• MEF funds new student wellness center at Alhambra High, including a dedicated staff position and therapeutic materials
• New student board member Om Waltz sworn in and authorized by resolution to make motions on most items
• District manages ~4,000 Chromebooks with $10K+ in unpaid damage fines as two state screen-time bills advance
• Paid teacher-leader role created to support rollout of new K-8 math curriculum across all sites

The longest and most contentious item of the night was Board Bylaw 9250, which returned from a prior meeting with what Interim Superintendent Janelle Ayette described as apparent consensus for a $400 monthly increase. It did not go smoothly.