Payroll crisis causes hardship for Los Angeles teachers

Whether due to non-payment, underpayment or overpayment, the toll on these employees has been enormous. Thousands have been forced to scale back on expenses, delay bill payments, max out their credit cards or take out loans to pay for the basic necessities of life, including mortgages, rent and groceries.

Many teachers have had to make the arduous trek to the school district’s downtown headquarters, where they have been forced to wait for hours to rectify the paycheck blunders. Because of the flaws in the computer system, office personnel often cannot even track down the employees’ records.

An August 25 article by Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times recounts some of the experiences of exasperated educators. One teacher, who had received half the amount she should have, was shuttled among three different employees at the district’s office. After seven hours, the problem still had not been resolved; in fact, nobody could find her job assignment. Another teacher had to take out a $15,000 loan after her third month of not getting paid. Yet another’s paycheck fluctuated between $1,033 to $3,269 over a four-month period.