Pleasanton Unified School District trustees have voted 3-2 to raise their monthly stipend from $463 to $1,200 starting Jan. 1, the Pleasanton Weekly reported.
Board President Kelly Baehr and trustees Laurie Walker and Charlie Jones voted yes; Mary Jo Carreon and Justin Brown voted no. "This isn't about personal gain but attracting potential candidates moving forward," Baehr said.
Why now: AB 1390
Assembly Bill 1390, which took effect Jan. 1, 2026, raised the cap on school board stipends to between $600 and $4,500 a month depending on enrollment; the old range was $60 to $1,500. With about 13,000 students, Pleasanton's board could have gone as high as $2,000, the Weekly reported. The law also allows 5% annual increases.
The objections
Opponents questioned the timing. Brown said he could not square the raise with the district's finances, and Carreon said it was the wrong time while teachers lack a new contract. Evan Branning, president of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers, told the board that staff had recently been through budget reductions, layoff notices and position cuts, and that bargaining has gone on for about a year and a half without a salary settlement.
Baehr noted neighboring boards have raised pay too, including Dublin Unified to $1,600 and Antioch Unified to $2,000.