Teachers in the Rochester City School District could finally be getting paid what they are owed — and then some — under a newly approved agreement to resolve past payroll errors.
The total payout is estimated to be as much as $3 million, according to a district spokesperson. That is just to cover teachers. The district still is negotiating with its other employee unions.
“This agreement establishes a clear and consistent process for addressing outstanding matters and reinforces our shared commitment to fairness and accountability,” Superintendent Eric Rosser said in a statement.
The agreement covering the Rochester Teachers Association and its unit for substitute teachers received unanimous approval from the school board on Tuesday. Teachers have until July 20 to submit claims. If approved, they would receive full payment, plus 10% interest, on or before Sept. 15. With the payment the employee then waives any future related legal claim or grievance against the district.
“While we are gratified that we could fix what's fixable, some things are not by definition fixable, the lack of trust, the lack of confidence is irreversible,” said Adam Urbanski, president of the teachers union.
For those who were overpaid, the district plans to garnish that amount in future wages. All teachers union members regardless of whether they were directly affected by payroll errors will receive an additional personal day.
The district has spent, and continues to spend, hundreds of thousands of dollars troubleshooting problems with its Oracle Fusion software, which handles payroll and other administrative functions. Those problems have been ongoing for nearly a year.
As for whether this solves every grievance, Urbanski said that’s not possible, nor is this the end of it.
“I worry whether or not the district will competently administer the implementation of this memorandum of agreement,” Urbaski said. “If they couldn't do payroll right, I think it's not unreasonable to expect that they will not be able to follow through in a timely and accurate way on the implementation of this.”
According to district data, hundreds of employees have reported payroll errors since last July.
“The District remains focused on ensuring that our employees are properly compensated and that the systems they depend on function reliably,” Rosser said in a statement. “We will continue engaging with our other bargaining units to reach similar resolutions and sustain the progress that has been made.”
