Summer Pay Issues 

Dear Team MCPS,

I need to alert you to a very important issue affecting many of our teammates:  Some members of Team MCPS are not getting paid as expected, and I want to be clear–this is completely unacceptable.  I am supremely sorry that this is happening and for the stress that some in Team MCPS are experiencing as a result of this. All employees deserve to be paid accurately and on time, and I know how disruptive and frustrating these issues are.  

No one goes into public education to become rich.  I know that every penny in every paycheck counts and that people can’t pay their bills and mortgages without the money that they have earned. 

Our colleagues in multiple offices are working non-stop and with all urgency to identify and fix outstanding errors. Resolving the payroll issue is a top priority.

If you’ve worked and haven’t been paid or are concerned about future pay (understandable)—or if your pay is not right—that’s a serious concern, and we understand the frustration it’s causing. I am writing to share what we know at this point and how we are working to address it.

What We Know

• Some summer employees did not receive full or timely pay.  What we know is that approximately 400 affected employees have received their pay, but approximately 200 employees are still waiting for their full pay.
• This is not a new issue for MCPS–summer pay has historically been challenging.   This year, this problem has been amplified by the transition to a new system.
• In some cases, a few employees were and are still unable to enter time cards, at all.

What You Need to Know

• We are working around the clock on these problems.
• For those negatively impacted, the August 8 paycheck will include all summer hours that were successfully entered into our system. Our vendor says this is true, and we are trusting but working to verify that this is, in fact, true. 
• If your pay is missing or incorrect, we need to hear from you quickly, so we can fix it quickly. Please check!

If You Have an Issue, This is How You Get Support

• We’ve created a Pay Issue Reporting Form. Use this form to let us know about any problem you have with any pay-related concerns.  
• Many have asked why MCPS isn’t simply issuing checks (electronic payments) to affected employees. Initially, we believed we could resolve pay issues through off-cycle payments—and in many cases, that worked. Through our work with the vendor, we now have a process where, going forward, we can issue pay in limited cases more quickly.  

The team is committed to making this right, and I am committed to making this right. If you’ve done the work, you deserve to be paid—accurately and on time. We know patience is running thin, and we appreciate your patience as we work through this with care and urgency.  

Thomas Taylor
Superintendent