March 4, 2011

Dear Teachers,
As developments occur along the way to resolving the payroll overpayment issue, the
School District is committed to keeping you informed. We hope this ongoing
communication will in some small way help to minimize the anxiety we know you must
be feeling. More than that, we want to keep you abreast of the situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will I find out how much I was overpaid?

A: The school district has now identified the 1,439 teachers who have been impacted by
the payroll error and will begin informing those teachers of the exact amount of their
overpayments beginning Monday, March 7th and over the following several days.
Teachers who have been impacted will receive notification via an email from the payroll
department.

Q: When will I see a change in my paycheck?

A: As of March 3, 2010, overpayments have been stopped. However, we were too far
along in the payroll process to adjust March 4th paychecks. Your check on March 18th
will reflect your corrected pay.

Q: How much less will my March 18th check be?

A: It is difficult to say exactly what the reduction in your pay will be on the March 18th
paycheck because the pay schedule is very complex and different for everyone. In
general, the average reduction ranges from $40 to $75 per pay check.

Q: What are you doing to make sure my corrected check is right this time?
A: We have created a check and balance system that has distinct and separate areas of
responsibility and accountability. The Business Office will make the necessary updates
to the salary schedule; the payroll and business departments will double check the salary
to ensure accuracy; and the Human Resources Department will review teacher records to
ensure they are on the proper step within the schedule.

Q: When will I know how long I have to pay back the money I was overpaid?
A: The School Committee and your union, the Springfield Education Association, are
working together to determine a resolution that is fair and equitable as to the length of
time and process for paying back the money. School officials will meet with union
representatives on Friday, March 11th in hopes of reaching an agreement.
SEA representatives and School Committee representatives met March 1st to begin
discussions. The School Committee met in Executive Session on March 3rd to review
options to continue these discussions with SEA. Once an agreement is reached between
your union and the School Committee, the proposal will go before the School Committee
in a public meeting for a vote.

Q: How did this mistake occur in the first place?

A: Ultimately, this mistake occurred because there was not an adequate system of checks
and balances in place at a time when multiple, complicated changes were being made to
the pay schedule.

There are several pieces to the puzzle that brought us to where we are today.

• In June, the School Committee approved a tentative agreement with the

Springfield Education Association to eliminate the first step of the salary schedule
and apply a 1% cost of living adjustment.
• On September 17th, all teachers who were eligible were moved up a step on the
old schedule (the new pay schedule was not yet ratified).
• On October 12th, the tentative agreement between SEA and School Committee
was fully ratified.
• Under the ratified contract, teachers step numbers should have been moved back a
step so their salary would be aligned wit the new step structure.
• The error occurred here because instead of moving teachers back to the corrected
new step, the district inadvertently kept teachers at the step they were on. In
addition, a retroactive check was issued on November 12th , which was based on
the incorrect step

How you were overpaid

 
Old STEP Schedule:  1  2  3  4  5  Etc. 
 

 
New STEP Schedule:  0  1  2  3  4  Etc. 
Step Eliminated 
 

For example: Old Step 2s should have become Step 1s under the new Step schedule but
that did not happen.
Q: Should I have noticed the overpayment on my check?
A: It is perfectly understandable that you would not have noticed the overpayment on
your check. There were fluctuations on teacher paychecks in September, October and part
of November accounting for the cost of living adjustment, step increases and retroactive
pay issuance.

Q: When did overpayment start and when will it stop?

A: The first overpayment occurred on the October 29th paycheck. The last overpayment
is reflected in the March 4, 2011 paycheck.

Q: I’ve already filed my taxes. Do I now have to have them amended?

A: Once an agreement has been reached between your union and the School Committee
on the length of time to pay back the money, and the process for doing so, then you and
your tax preparer can make that decision.