Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Payroll And Business Office topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers union says business office mismanaged payroll; superintendent apologizes, vows help line
Summary
The Inglewood Teachers Association told the Englewood Board of Education that a majority of its membership had voted no confidence in the district business administrator, citing repeated payroll errors and poor communication; Superintendent Dr. Monee Hazleton apologized and announced a dedicated help line and email to address payroll and benefits questions.
The Inglewood Teachers Association told the Englewood Board of Education on the record that a majority of its membership has voted no confidence in the district’s business administrator because of repeated payroll errors and poor communication that have left employees financially and administratively strained.
“In April 2024, our district faced an unprecedented cybersecurity attack ... we resorted the business office resorted to using QuickBooks, a system that is simply not built for the needs of a school district,” Dr. Monee Hazleton, superintendent of the Englewood Public School District, said in response, acknowledging the disruption and apologizing to staff. “I fully recognize the gravity of the issues that have deeply affected our dedicated staff, particularly regarding payroll and benefits. ... I take full responsibility for the role our district played in failing to meet your expectations.”
Why it matters: district employees say missed or incorrect paychecks and slow responses from the business office have caused financial hardship for staff. The district has a large operating budget and, the administration said, is still rebuilding data systems after a cyberattack that forced temporary workarounds.
What the union said The union representative told the board that members have experienced late and incorrect paychecks, including cases that left teachers with "overdrawn bank overdrawn bank accounts," and that efforts to get clear guidance from the business office have repeatedly failed. The representative also said notices placed on the business office door at one point made staff effectively inaccessible and that restoration-team visits to schools were sometimes scheduled with little or no prior notice, disrupting teachers’ classroom time.
“Our members who are dedicated, hardworking professionals should not have to bear the burden of catching payroll mistakes or chasing down responses to basic inquiries,” the Inglewood Teachers Association co‑president (name not specified in the meeting record) said.
Superintendent’s response and immediate steps Dr. Hazleton said the district has been working with a restoration team since mid‑June to rebuild its record systems after the April 2024 cyberattack and that the district used QuickBooks temporarily, which she said was not appropriate for a district of the district’s size. She said that led to “multiple payroll mistakes across 3 consecutive payroll cycles.”
As an immediate step, Dr. Hazleton said she was directing the business office to implement a dedicated help line and a help email for staff payroll and benefits inquiries; she said the district will aim to respond within 24 business hours during a five‑day workweek. The superintendent read an email address into the record (as spoken in the meeting transcript): "ba,basinboy,aasinapple,helpdesk@espd.org." She also invited staff to contact her directly if the new channel does not resolve an inquiry within the stated timeframe.
Union stance and next steps The union speaker said the membership’s vote of no confidence was made after repeated attempts to resolve payroll and communication issues and emphasized the union’s preference for a working resolution: “Our goal is resolution. We remain committed to rebuilding a professional working relationship with the business administrator and the business office.”
Board follow-up Board President Michael Feinstein (presiding) informed the public that the board planned to return to executive session later in the meeting and did not anticipate taking action immediately upon return. No formal board action on employment or discipline of the business administrator was taken during the public portion of the meeting.
What remains unclear The union called for accountability and said members continue to experience payroll errors; the district described system failures and recovery work but did not in the public record provide a detailed timeline for full remediation or a named replacement or personnel action for the business administrator. The union indicated willingness to work with the district to fix the problems.
The board and administration said they would continue to update staff and the public as work on the district’s financial systems continues.
