Salary for School District Attorney Set to Rise

At next week’s Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees meeting, the body will consider revisions to the job description for the district’s in-house attorney, which include an increase in the salary schedule, and a change in reporting structure.

The revisions show the salary schedule range for the job changing from $143,117 – $170,336 annually to $145,802 – $174,722 annually, for a 225 day (51 week) work year.

Additionally, the new job description has the attorney reporting to the Board of Trustees, instead of the district superintendent, as it is structured now. The district created the position in mid-2009, under current superintendent Kirsten Vital.

Trustee Trish Spencer told Action Alameda News, “I’m looking forward to the discussion. I’m not entirely convinced we should even have legal counsel on staff, but if we do, he or she should report to the board, not the superintendent, similar to the way it works at Alameda City Hall. Otherwise it’s a conflict of interest.”

Attorney Danielle Houck, who held the position since 2009, gave the school district notice earlier this summer, taking a job elsewhere. Her termination date was effective July 26th.