Swartz Creke School board questions $30K in extra pay not approved beforehan
SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. — Members of the Swartz Creek school board raised concerns during a recent meeting about approximately $30,000 in stipends discussed as part of a financial presentation, stating the stipends had not received prior board approval.
A stipend is a fixed amount of money typically paid for specific duties outside of a person’s regular salary, such as additional responsibilities or extra assignments.
The issue came up during discussion of the finance committee report. One board member said the stipends were included in a presentation and stated, “we’re spending money that we didn’t approve.”
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Board members discussed whether to move forward with approving the report as presented. During the exchange, members clarified that the stipends had not been previously approved by the board, which is typically required before district funds are authorized.
The board initially made a motion to accept the finance report, but that motion was later withdrawn. A revised motion was then introduced to accept the report with the addition that it was missing discussion related to stipends that did not have prior board approval.
The amended motion was seconded and passed in a 5–1 vote.
No further action regarding the stipends was taken during the meeting.