South Bay Union has money problems and may close schools. Its board still gave itself a raise.

South Bay Union board members gave themselves a pay raise even as their district struggles with funding and low enrollment. 

It’s a tiny bump — the 5% increase brought their monthly pay from $262 to $275 — but it comes as officials discuss school closures and job eliminations. The district faces a more than $5 million deficit and has yet to finalize a plan to manage campuses in response to its dwindling enrollment.

The board unanimously passed its raise. But members initially shot it down in a split vote at a January meeting, with some raising concerns about timing: The district has been engaged in contract negotiations with the teachers union since May.

“I think that we all have been working really hard to get us to a place where we are all going to be successful,” board Vice President Jose Lopez Eguino said at a meeting last month, when members again considered the raise.

“But we also deserve to be compensated. It’s like 12 bucks, and we’re working on making sure our teachers (pay) continue to be competitive.”

As inewsource previously reported, South Bay Union has lost half of its students in the past decade. The district, which serves Imperial Beach, San Ysidro and other parts of southern San Diego, reported 3,600 enrolled students this school year.

Parents and community members have continued to voice frustrations and confusions at plans to narrow down school closures. 

Resident Anthony Millican told board members before their vote that he was “appalled.” He pointed to the district’s test scores and discussions of reducing kindergarten classes at Nestor Language Academy.

 “I humbly — or maybe not so humbly — suggest that you table your percent raises until your achievement rises, and until you stop talking about cutting kindergarten classes at a time when you are looking at other bargaining issues,” Millican said.

Board members who responded to inewsource declined to comment and instead referred a reporter to a district spokesperson.

“We believe that compensation reflecting the time and dedication required by school district trustees is one way to attract parents and community members to Board service,” the district said in a statement.

Based on the district’s attendance, state law sets pay for each South Bay Union board member at no more than $240 a month, but allows annual increases of up to 5%.

Superintendent Jose Espinoza said at the meeting that the board has only granted itself a raise twice in the past 10 years. The most recent increase was in 2022.

“We also compared the stipends from some nearby districts,”Espinoza said at the meeting. “For example, National, which is a district that is very similar to ours, their board members receive about $300 a month.”

Two weeks after approving their raises, board members slashed 15 staff positions, including full-time and part-time roles, in a money-saving move for the district. 

While a majority of the positions were vacant, on the chopping block were six employees who work in student services and nutrition positions.

According to staff reports, the eliminated roles will help the district save more than $700,000.

Members of a South Bay Union advisory committee — comprising administrators, principals, teachers and parents — began meeting privately since 2023 to discuss school consolidation recommendations.

Several concepts have been proposed, including grade reconfigurations across campuses, school closures and a focus on specialized programs.

The superintendent said the district will hold more town halls to collect feedback from community members before providing a draft recommendation to the board.