Hillside teachers ssociation demands payroll audit after repeated pay errors

Angela Lawler, president of the Hillside Education Association, told the Board of Education that repeated payroll mistakes in the district have caused "real financial harm and personal distress" for employees and that the union will escalate the matter if the district does not act. "The ongoing payroll failures in the district are unacceptable, unsustainable, and will no longer be tolerated," Lawler said during the public-comment portion of the meeting. The union asked the board for a formal audit of the payroll department's staffing, processes and technology; public accountability and disciplinary action where warranted; compensation for employees who incurred fees or interest because of errors; a permanent payroll liaison for union members; and a corrective-action plan with deadlines and monthly reports to the union and board. In response, Superintendent Glover acknowledged the problem and took ownership of the failures. "I own it," Glover said, adding that recent errors are "not acceptable." He said the district has been assessing internal processes and described the payroll issues as part of broader operational shortfalls the administration is addressing. Glover also told the board that issues with staff attendance have strained district operations and substitute budgets, saying the district's data showed "approximately 20 percent of our staff impacted instructional practices" last year. He said the district has made progress on contracts with unions and that leadership will pursue consistent procedures going forward. There was no formal board vote on payroll-related demands during the meeting. The union president told the board the organization is prepared to pursue grievances, unfair-labor-practice charges and public escalation if the district does not implement the requested accountability and remediation steps. The board did not announce an immediate schedule for the independent payroll audit requested by the union; Superintendent Glover said he has been working with the business administrator and that some corrective steps are underway but did not give a public timeline for the full audit or the compensation the union requested.