DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Imagine going to work every day and not getting a paycheck.
That’s the issue facing hundreds of employees with DeKalb County schools because of an issue with the payroll system.
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Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was outside headquarters for DeKalb County Schools Wednesday, where she found out these problems have been going on fo years.
The district got a new payroll system about six years ago, and according to one board member, they’ve had small problems with people getting paid, but not enough to say it’s an issue.
But last month, they made some changes with the system, and that’s when the paycheck problems got bad, to the point where employees were calling Channel 2 Action News crying, afraid to speak up.
The district admits this has affected hundreds of workers.
Deborah Jones, the president of the DeKalb Educators Association, said several employees called her during the month of October, saying they had problems getting paid.
“I’ve heard that people are not getting their checks. Some people are getting paper checks. Some people are getting a card -- like a credit card. And when they use that they have to pay to use the credit card,” Jones said. “They’re taking money from them as they use that pay card.”
The district started using a new payroll system called Munis about six years ago, and over those years, they have had some problems with employees getting paid.
But since it was only a few people, and the district handled it, it was never a big deal.
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Until last month, when the district made some changes to the system, which affected about 200 people.
A spokesperson for the district sent Fernandes a statement, saying that the most recent pay period was better than the last.
“DCSD sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience our payroll transition may have cause and is working diligently to refine the system,” the district said.
Two weeks ago, school board members discussed it during this meeting, and the chief financial officer admitted there’s still a problem.
“Any time you’re late with your rent, then they charge the fees, and so by the time you’re able to pay the rent, it’s time to pay the rent again and what are you going to do?”
At least seven employees have told Fernandes similar stories, crying and not knowing what to do. Two weeks ago, some employees were so upset they came to the district demanding their money, and it was school police officers who had to make sure they stayed calm.
Those officers said they hadn’t been paid either, and that it’s an ongoing issue that will hopefully get resolved soon.
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