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Public commenter and administration spar over proposed payroll schedule change; item moved to full board
Summary
At a May 19 Orleans Parish School Board policy committee meeting, a resident criticized a proposed payroll schedule change as confusing for 11‑month employees; district administrators said the change consolidates pay cycles to reduce confusion and that employees were notified; the committee moved the payroll policy (DJC) to the full board with one abstention noted.
A resident told the Orleans Parish School Board policy committee on May 19 that a proposed change to district payroll procedures could create "an immeasurable amount more work for the payroll department," while district administrators said the change consolidates pay cycles to reduce confusion and will not create a lapse in pay.
Colette Tippy, who identified her address as 1416 Marin Street, testified during public comment that the proposed amendment to OPSB policy DJC appears to set out multiple payroll schedules and overlooks 11‑month employees. "This only contemplates payroll periods for 12‑month and 10‑month employees," Tippy said; she asked why the district would create parallel schedules that could complicate processing.
The administration responded that the update consolidates existing pay cycles to address holdback‑pay complications. Superintendent Dr. Fatima Fulmore asked Miss Dukes to explain operational details; Miss Dukes said the change reduces the number of payroll cycles and standardizes pay periods so percentages used for holdbacks are applied consistently. She said employees have been notified and that 11‑month employees currently on 23 pays will be increased to one additional pay period so there is "no lapse in pay." "We're merging them together to consolidate these pay periods," Miss Dukes said.
Board members pressed for clarification about who is on which schedule and whether school‑based employees would have the option to move to a 12‑month schedule. Administrators said central office staff remain on a 26‑pay bi‑weekly schedule while school‑based employees are on 10‑ or 11‑month cycles (22 or 23 pays), and that the proposal creates a 24‑pay semi‑monthly option for some school‑based employees to avoid large take‑home‑pay changes for lower‑paid positions, such as child nutrition staff.
The committee voted to move the payroll policy amendment (item 4.5) to the full board for consideration on Thursday. A committee member asked for further one‑on‑one follow up with the administration and announced they would abstain from the committee's voice vote to seek additional clarity.
The committee did not adopt a final payroll schedule or policy change at the meeting; the action taken was to forward the item to the full board for a final decision.
