The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education approved various districtwide expenditures at its Dec. 9 meeting.
The board voted to increase its monthly compensation from $240 to $1,200. The raise comes after the passage of Assembly Bill 1390 in October, which increased maximum monthly stipends for school board members in California. Under the new law, in districts with an average daily attendance between 1,000 and 10,000, school board members can receive a maximum of $1,200 per month. The board unanimously passed the motion on second reading and will review compensation for the student board member later.
“We put in so much time and effort that there’s no way to even compensate what we’re doing,” Board Member Sigalie Sabag said in favor of the proposal.
The board also unanimously approved a district trip to the Consumer Electronics Show— an annual electronics trade show that takes place in Las Vegas in January—at $4,000 per person for an unspecified 2-5 board and administration members.
“Attending CES provides staff with firsthand exposure to cutting-edge technologies and advanced AI tools, allowing them to deepen their understanding of emerging innovations and bring back critical insights that keep BHUSD forward-thinking, future-ready and aligned with best practices in educational technology and AI integration,” the proposal read.
Kimberly Lifschitz, a district parent, raised concerns over the cost of attending the conference, the lack of clarity on who would be attending and the district’s rapid implementation of Artificial Intelligence. She said the expense for a consumer trade show that is not open to the public is unreasonable when her son’s district school is consistently short staffed with classroom aides. Lifschitz also raised the concerns of the mental health impacts of AI.
“Four [thousand] per person but we don’t get names or an accurate head count—could it be because there is zero reason for school board members and district personnel to attend a consumer tech trade show?” Lifschitz said. “This is just plain insulting.”
BHUSD Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss argued that attending CES was relevant to the school district due to the cybersecurity training, robotics courses and AI training that it offers. He added that command center technologist Ryan Damavandi, robotics teacher John Castle and public information officer Colby Gilardian may attend the conference to bring back lessons on technology.
“There is cybersecurity training as part of this and that will be a great investment for us … We know our parents really care about security,” Cherniss said. “It looks like it’s a worthwhile investment as we continue to talk about AI, we continue to talk about cybersecurity, ways to keep our kids safe, ways to provide the best education.”
Earlier in the meeting, parent Daniel Lifschitz raised concerns about a social media post from Board Member Russell Stuart in which Stuart replied “FAFO” to a post on X about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s daughter condemning President Donald Trump for calling her father “retarded.” Walz has a disabled son. Stuart then posted “feelings activated, facts overruled,” to clarify his comment.
Lifschitz, the parent of a disabled child, noted, “Is this the type of belief we should want someone in charge of overseeing education not only harbor but feel comfortable enough to express to the world without any apparent second thought?” he said. “If this is the example we’re looking to set for our kids, I fear the district’s legal troubles are only beginning.”
Stuart did not respond to the substance of Lifschitz’ comments.
The board also unanimously approved an agreement with LA High Tech Enterprises to install vape detectors at Beverly Vista Middle School for a total cost of $64,127.11. Vape detectors were previously installed at Beverly Hills High School. The agreement comes after Board Member Russell Stuart said the vape detectors had been effective and revealed how many students were consistently vaping at a Nov. 1 Health and Safety Commission meeting.
