Compensation for School Board Directors. If authorized by a school district board of directors resolution at a regularly scheduled meeting, the members of the board may receive compensation of $50 per day, or portion of a day, for attending board meetings and performing other services on behalf of the district. This compensation is in addition to any reimbursement for expenses.
The compensation may not exceed $4,800 per year, and only locally collected excess levy funds available for this purpose may be used to provide the compensation. Compensation for board members must not cause the state to incur any present or future funding obligation. Any director may waive part or all of their compensation.
School Director Compensation. If compensation is authorized by a school district board of directors, each member of the board of directors may receive compensation at a daily amount of $50 per day or a portion thereof not to exceed $5,000 per year, or up to the following amounts based on total student enrollment:
| District Total Student Enrollment | Annual Compensation Maximum |
| 0–2499 | $5,000 |
| 2500–6249 | $10,000 |
| 6250–9999 | $15,000 |
| 10,000–19,999 | $20,000 |
| 20,000–29,999 | $25,000 |
| 30,000– | $30,000 |
Total student enrollment is determined using the three-year rolling annual average full-time equivalent student enrollment, based on the prior school year.
Inflationary Adjustment. The dollar thresholds for salaries and per diem compensation must be adjusted for inflation by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) every five years, beginning July 1, 2023. OFM must calculate the new dollar threshold and transmit it to the Office of the Code Reviser for publication in the Washington State Register at least one month before the new dollar threshold is to take effect.
Inflation is measured by the implicit price deflator for a given fiscal year, using the official current base compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the United States Department of Commerce.