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<\/p>\nNews Brief<\/p>\n
Monday, January 26, 2026 \u2014 2:35 pm<\/p>\n
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Fresno Unified School District board members will receive pay raises that more than double their current stipends, starting in February, The Fresno Bee reported<\/a>. The seven-member board voted 6-1 to increase their pay from $2,111 to $4,500, or $54,000 annually.\u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly Bill 1390<\/a>, signed into law in October, raised the maximum monthly stipend for board members in school districts and county education offices \u2014 the first time in over 40 years<\/a> that school board members\u2019 compensation limits have been raised. Local boards still decide whether to raise their rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to The Bee, Fresno Unified is among the first districts in the state to utilize AB 1390.\u00a0<\/p>\n School districts with an average of over 60,000 students showing up each day, or average daily attendance, may pay board members a monthly stipend of up to $4,500, with the ability for 5% annual increases beyond that.\u00a0<\/p>\n But school districts are facing budget deficits caused by declining enrollment, lower state funding due to lower average daily attendance, uncertainty about federal funding, and lower-than-expected cost-of-living adjustments from the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is another year of budget cuts for Fresno Unified. There were district-level cuts in 2024-25 and almost $49 million in cuts<\/a> this school year, including a nearly $30 million program<\/a> that provided additional instruction to students but reportedly showed inconsistent results<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most recently, in December, the board approved early retirement for 573 employees <\/a>to save the district $56 million over the next five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that we are in a moment of operating under a budget deficit and having to make some difficult decisions over these next few months, if not longer,\u201d said trustee Andy Levine, the sole \u201cno\u201d vote. <\/p>\n More News Briefs <\/p>\n \n Monday, January 26, 2026, 12:17 pm <\/p>\n Fresno Unified retirees file complaint, allege violation of lifetime benefits<\/a><\/p>\n \n Monday, January 26, 2026, 11:55 am <\/p>\n Teachers unions split on state superintendent endorsements<\/a><\/p>\n \n Monday, January 26, 2026, 9:54 am <\/p>\n Trump administration must keep funding child care for now, judge rules<\/a><\/p>\n \n Monday, January 26, 2026, 9:47 am <\/p>\n