Paycheck Delays Affect Hundreds Of Teachers In The New School Year
The Department of Education offered a $2,000 advance to educators who didn’t receive their paychecks earlier this week.
Over 300 teachers started the new school year without pay due to delays with processing payroll forms in the Hawaii Department of Education.
The problem, which primarily affected new teachers who needed to have a payroll form generated, hit hard for many who are living paycheck-to-paycheck and depend on the direct deposits to their bank accounts.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association said it has heard complaints from educators on Oahu, the Big Island and Molokai so far. The delay affected charter and traditional public schools, which both rely on DOE to issue teacher paychecks.
“Many of them are worried about missing mortgage and rent payments, racking up overdraft fees, and just having some cash to get by,” HSTA Deputy Executive Director Andrea Eshelman said in a on Friday. “We hope the department will do its best to assure this never happens again.”
Approximately 330 new teachers who began on work on July 30 did not receive their first paychecks earlier this week, said DOE communications director Nanea Ching. HSTA previously reported that 377 teachers were affected, but the estimate overcounted the number of employees who began in schools last month, Ching said.
Teachers were notified Thursday that they will not receive their salaries until next month.
Most educators will receive two checks on Sept. 5, but 75 teachers will not receive any money until Sept. 20, the third pay day of the school year, according to HSTA.
Ching attributed the delays to challenges with processing necessary payroll forms for new hires.
“We are examining our onboarding process that resulted in the delay,” Ching said in an emailed statement. “Fixing the process and improving oversight of the process are high priorities.”
In the meantime, DOE will deliver $2,000 checks to affected employees on Monday to help tide them over until the problem is resolved. Teachers who take the advance will need to repay the money to the department after regular paychecks are received, HSTA said.
Kimberly Corbin, a teacher at Kaohao Public Charter School in Kailua, said she learned Thursday that she won’t receive her first paycheck of the year until Sept. 20.
She added that she’s already received bank and credit card fees because her automatic monthly payments didn’t go through earlier this week. Some teachers are worried they could lose their health insurance if delays continue, Corbin said, adding that premiums are automatically deducted from their paychecks.
“It’s just unacceptable,” Corbin said.
Effie Egan, who also teaches at Kaohao School, said she hasn’t seen delays like this in her 12 years of working in public schools. While she received her paycheck this month, she said DOE should have notified teachers of potential delays ahead of time so they could cancel automatic payments and make arrangements with their banks.
“In what other profession would you not have a check?” Egan said.
Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
