DAYTON — Some Dayton Public Schools employees missed their first paycheck of the new school year.
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District leaders said at least part of this was due to employees not having the required documentation on file.
This prompted Dayton’s school board to call an emergency meeting Friday afternoon.
“We had some issues, especially yesterday, with people being paid,” William Bailey, Ph.D., DPS School Board president, said.
Bailey mentioned the district switched its pay schedule and said some people’s checks were wrong—others didn’t get their paychecks.
“I’m trying to understand why these people are not being paid. I’m trying to understand why these people’s checks are messed up,” he said.
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Payroll problems were the only subject during the 35-minute emergency meeting.
“I think we are here in this space because we cannot wait until the next board meeting to make any corrections to make sure people are made whole,” Smith said.
District leaders never put an exact confirmed number on how many employees this affected.
But the district treasurer said missed paychecks were for new employees.
And in response to questions from board members — one payroll employee mentioned at least two long-term subs who were not paid because they do not have licenses.
“These employees are upset. They have been working. They went to convocation. They have been present. However, we are legally not permitted to issue a dollar of taxpayer money to pay these salaries until they receive the proper credentialing,” Kelli Webb, DPS payroll specialist, said.
She said another piece of this was not having I-9 forms for some people.
That’s a mandatory federal government document employers use to verify the identity and work authorization of all their employees.
There was frustration in the room as board members and staff sorted through the issues.
“Can I just ask, why do we call a meeting to have a discussion that could have been an email or phone call?” Eric Walker, DPS Board of Education member, said.
Staff said they would work into the night to get the proper paperwork to get people paid.
News Center 7 was sent the following statement on behalf of Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence:
“The Treasurer’s Department and HR are actively working together to identify and address gaps on both sides. After spending Friday evening with the Treasurer’s Department, we confirmed that no employees were being paid who did not have the required licensure.
According to our Human Resources Department, there are also no teachers who were scheduled to be paid who lacked the required certification and had not been board-approved to serve in a long-term capacity under an alternative, substitute, or pending status.
We did, however, identify employees who had completed all appropriate paperwork but were not paid for other reasons, including changes in work location. The Treasurer’s Department issued 28 checks Friday evening. Approximately 10 were picked up Saturday morning, with most of the remaining 18 distributed today, aside from a few that are still outstanding."
News Center 7 is scheduled to talk with someone from DPS on camera about this Tuesday.
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