Touchet School Leaders Meet to Talk Payroll

Share

By Chelsea Kopta

Summary

Touchet school leaders met Tuesday to figure out why all 50 employees in the district went without a paycheck during the last pay period.

Story Published: Dec 29, 2009 at 6:25 PM PST

TOUCHET, WA -- A few staff members filed into the Touchet School District office Tuesday morning, ready to talk about the payroll process and what broke down in the last two weeks.

An apparent problem with the payroll system left all 50 families employed by the Touchet School District without a payday during the Christmas break. That includes everyone from the superintendent on down. The district did sent out paper checks but they were post-dated to the 30th or 31st. Banks told some employees they would not honor those checks until the dates listed. Direct deposit funds wouldn't be available until the end of the month either.

Action News asked to join the meeting with school leaders; we were refused.

Superintendent Dan McDonald also refused any on camera interviews but said that the payroll glitch was completely unintentional, he was very sorry that it happened, and that he was going to make sure that it never happened again.

"We're not satisfied. We would have been satisfied had we gotten paid on time," Cathy Plucker said, Teacher's Education Association (TEA) President for the Touchet School District.

Clearly, the meeting did not answer all of Plucker's questions.

"We still think the district dropped the ball and mistakes were made," she continued. "And we want everyone to know, this doesn't just affect teachers, it affects everyone."

Normally, employees get paid at the end of each month. But McDonald told the group that payroll had apparently not started soon enough to have checks ready by the earlier payday, December 18th, when employees were let out for winter break.

"He didn't know. He didn't know that it would be started sooner," Donnetta Elsasser said, TEA Executive Council member.

Employees aren't the only ones asking questions. Following the media coverage, folks in the small town started taking sides. A letter posted all over the local Touchet market came out in support of the school board. One paragraph reads:

"To air your dirty laundry in public, with the intention of crucifying the school board members, has in many people's views, blown up in your face.Do you really think someone is out to get you? Do you really think the board is keeping you down? Are you really that financially irresponsible to not have an emergency plan?"

The letter is anonymous and has since been taken down from the store.

"We have more information now but we still have questions that we're going to track down," Plucker said.

The TEA members said they are meeting with the superintendent again next week to address the grievance that was filed because of the delayed paychecks.