Unpaid service has cost:

school districts and colleges spend anywhere from $3,000 to more than $31,000 to cover board member expenses, including travel, conferences, hotel rooms and banquets

Carpentersville-based Community Unit School District 300, with 32 percent of its population considered low-income…Over the past five years, the district has spent $18,114 on board member travel expenses and conference registration fees

Elgin School District U46, with nearly 50 percent of its population considered low-income…spends "well under" $10,000 each year on board members,

St. Charles-based Community Unit School District 303, with 8 percent of its population considered low-income, its board member budget is more flexible….It spent more than $25,000 on items related to board members,

Elgin Community College spent $31,472 during 2008-09 on conferences and travel for the Board of Trustees. This covers the cost for their attendance at American Community College Trustees and Illinois Community College Trustee Association meetings and annual conferences. Additionally, the cost of tickets purchased by the College of Trustees to attend college-sanctioned events totaled $3,150.

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