The annual State of the Schools address is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19, at the city council meeting. Portland, ME. The districts dedication to continuing professional development is unmatched. PORTLAND (WGME) -- The Portland Education Association and the Portland Public Schools District have come to an agreement regarding payroll issues.This comes aft An audit, conducted by the New Hampshire-based public accounting firm Melanson, warned the district in May of deficiencies in the payroll system. In our payroll, in our communication, in our response, and Im incredibly sorry.. Find how you can pay for certain bills, taxes, fines, and other fees. Those occur mostly when hourly staff are in more than a single position and those positions receive different compensation levels; when people change positions; when they receive stipends or other alternative compensations; and when they use vacation days on unpaid days, Botana told the district in a Nov. 15 letter. Solutions to payroll problems for employees of Portland Public Schools could take well into next year, officials say, after several pay periods during which the district failed to pay certain hourly employees in a timely manner. Employee Self Service Although Figdor stopped short of taking responsibility for the payroll flub, she did praise Portland school educators and sought to place the missed paychecks into context. Welcome to the Portland, ME Self Service Portal! The network outage hit the Central Office late on Wednesday, according to district communications manager Tess Nacelewicz. audit, conducted by the New Hampshire-based public accounting firm Melanson. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. "As a direct result of advocacy from the Portland Education Association and Maine Education Association, the district hired Spinglass Consulting to conduct a forensic analysis of its payroll system and make recommendations for improvements," the release explained. The investigation was completed by Spinglass Management Group after payroll issues in the district caused dozens of employees to be paid incorrectly during the fall semester. Success. Audit results confirm Portland Schools' payroll staffing issues At the September meeting, Botana said that out of the 11 full-time and four temporary positions in the districts finance department, five were open, although one would be filled in a few days. It wasnt only educators who showed up Tuesday. Heres why. Tue, January 10th 2023, 12:43 PM UTC. How did we get here? Translation Library. The boards chairwoman at the time, Emily Figdor, said the districts finance committee had been discussing the results of the audit since May and had worked with district officials to change the structure of the finance department and create and fund two new department positions. Portland Public Schools released the findings of a forensic audit Tuesday, which took an in-depth look at ongoing payroll problems within the district. Number of courts: 4. I am writing today as an individual member of the Portland Board of Education, not on its behalf. Use the form below to reset your password. I am writing today as an individual member of the Portland Board of Education, not on its behalf, she said. Members of the public, mostly employees and their supporters, listen as Portland Public Schools superintendent Xavier Botana speak before public comment at Portlands School Board meeting on Tuesday. The investigation was completed by Spinglass Management Group after payroll issues in the district. Contact us at benefits@portlandschools.org. Google Apps Login. Portland School District resolves payroll issue for ed techs - WMTW One full-time employee and one part-time employee were responsible for payroll for 1,900 staff members. Following their union leaders, at least a dozen employees stood up to voice their displeasure with the school board, questioned why the district, with its $133 million budget, has failed to get payroll done accurately for multiple pay periods and consistently accused the district of gaslighting its employees. Already have a commenting profile? Read More Payroll Update - January 30, 2023 Needs to be properly archieved), Portland International Scholars Academy (PISA), Reconnection Services - REDO - Need to move images, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our team works to ensure that educators and support staff can devote their full attention to achieving the district's mission of educational excellence for all students in a safe and nurturing environment. When: 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, open-ended play starts at 4 p.m. Sunday. And we are close to signing a letter of intent with a payroll processor and aim for that company to run payroll parallel to us by the end of the first quarter, as we fully transition to them. Outsourcing its payroll system remains the school districts long-term plan for the issues they are currently having. According to the report, employees logged more than 700 payroll complaints in the fall, citing late payments and incorrect paychecks. I want to offer my deepest apology to every Portland Public Schools staff member for the breakdown of our payroll system. I want to tell you about how we got here and the steps were urgently taking. Network outage at Portland schools impacts staff pay, classes - Maine That has left us with staff who do not know the multiple workarounds and exceptions that exist in our system, all of which are poorly documented, Botana said at the Nov. 15 school board meeting, adding that, the district has redeployed HR staff to work on data entry.. For more information on the grants and community schools, view this announcement from the MDOE. If they take that route, it could take well into 2023,Young said. Botana said that the recent system challenges within payroll have reaffirmed the need to outsource it, saying on Nov. 10 that the district cant depend on a system that is patched together and relies on one persons deep understanding and historical knowledge of it.. Without employees reporting issues they find with their pay, mistakes can likely go unnoticed by the district. It looks like you do not have any active subscriptions. Payroll Update - February 6, 2023 - Spinglass Report Attached This letter from interim co-superintendents Melea Nalli and Aaron Townsend includes report completed by Spinglass Management Group from their audit of our payroll practices. (207) 536-5210, This is the most recent phase in a two-month old struggle over material problems with the school districts payroll process. Several had reportedly not received correct retroactive pay owed to them as a result of signing a new contract in October. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. The New Hampshire-based auditing firm, Melanson, recommended the school district create an immediate plan to address some of these problems. You are not prioritizing your staff and by extension our students are hurting, elementary school teacher Jean Rank said. Please make time to fully lay out how you got to this point and what that audit report right now does, doesn't give us a very good picture," said George Rhealt. In the letter, Figdor sought to shift blame onto previous school officials over an accounting software system she says was not set up correctly. Welcome to your Portland Public Schools Benefits Portal. The district is planning to cross-training staff in other departments to operate payroll to help address the problem. The school board is not scheduled to meet again until Jan. 3. eventbrite.com Saturday 7/29 Marty Caproni, Casey Watson, Mark Turcotte: 8 . Posted December 2, 2022 Updated December 3, 2022 increase font size Portland school district quiet as payroll problems persist Two days after Superintendent Xavier Botana said the issues. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. A few days after the employees were overpaid, Kim Kennedy, the controller, emailed city finance department staff explaining that she needed to recoup overpayments. Ultimately, the district is hoping to have its entire payroll outsourced by spring, Botana said. Lentz, who became chair of the board on Monday and joined the board this summer, said she is working to get up to speed on the payroll developments, as well as other district duties. Log in to join the discussion. Notice of Non-Discrimination, Policies, Inquiries, and Complaint Procedures. Learn more. Several had reportedly not received correct retroactive pay owed to them as a result of signing a new contract in October. The Biden administration highlighted the efforts of Maine and other states to expand access to affordable child care during a White House event Wednesday. Portland school employees take district to task over payroll issues, Payroll is the most elemental promise made to an employee by an employer, Dowdy said. Changes must be made in the qualifying time frame. However, the district's payroll is reportedly still an ongoing issue. Portland tests out changes at busy downtown intersection - Press Herald The Portland Public Schools is Maine's largest school district, with approximately 6,500 students, and is also the most diverse. Pay & Apply | Portland, ME - Official Website You will receive an email to complete the registration. News - Portland Public Schools Botana said Tuesday that the district has contracted with the software company it uses for payroll to have a technician help the district reset its payroll system to the way it should have been set up in the first place.. In addition to trying to quickly get its underlying payroll issues solved, the district is having its payroll system audited, something the districts employee unions advocated for. Press Esc to cancel. During a school board meeting on Tuesday, one resident called for more transparency. $20. Apply to Payroll Administrator, Human Resources Associate, Human Resources Specialist and more! From $18.96 an hour. Man accused burning Bath school has plea hearing delayed While the report lays out some of the causes of the payroll problems, some locals say they want more answers. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. Meanwhile, our adult education program serves 4,500 lifelong learners annually, including 2,000 English language learners from 81 countries. That audit found that material misstatements were not detected and corrected in a timely manner.. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Payroll Updates & Information. Support equitable outcomes for students through transparent stewardship of resources and effective financial processes and services, emphasizing collaboration, responsible customer service and continuous improvement. A lack of employee training and clear understanding of our payroll processes, a payroll system that was not fully built-out as well as gaps in process documentation have made it difficult for others to step in and support the department and have caused gaps in employee pay (wages, additional pay, etc) for a number of employees in the last three pay cycles, Botana said in the statement. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. The investigation points to staffing shortfalls as the main cause of payroll issues in the district. The figure expands the number of people who have been potentially impacted by a payroll system that has failed to pay wages to a portion of staff members in the correct amount, on time or at all in some cases. Portland schools superintendent announces plans to step down Our goal is to empower you through this site to make your benefits easy to use and understand. On Monday, an outside firm, Spinglass, began a forensic audit of our payroll, meaning they will look at what each employee was paid compared to what they should have been paid, so we can ensure that every staff person was paid correctly. And it comes amid a backlash against public schools for seeking to honor the identities of all of our students and staff, create belonging and teach history accurately and honestly.. He can be reached by email at Robinson@TheMaineWire.com. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP The superintendent of Lewiston public schools is considering installing . Copyright 2022 Finalsite - all rights reserved. Please note the display name will appear on screen when you participate. While the report lays out some of the causes of the payroll problems, some locals say they want more answers. An audit submitted last spring and discussed by city and school officials in September warned about problems that appear . Portland superintendent resigns, citing ongoing payroll issues | Maine The district received a letter of intent and a proposal from ADP, a management services company that offers payroll oversight. The release stated the board would not be open to discussion or public comment following the 4 p.m. meeting Friday. Exactly what caused the overpayments is unclear. Portland teaching union, school district reach agreement over payroll Don't have a commenting profile? Login. Please make time to fully lay out how you got to this point and what that audit report right now does, doesn't give us a very good picture," said George Rhealt. Portland school district quiet as payroll problems persist - Press Herald The district currently has one employee fluent in using the payroll system MUNIS, a product of the Texas-based software firm Tyler Technologies, after two recent departures. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. I-Team: Internal emails shed new light on Portland Public Schools In a recent instance, lunch aides were not paid on Friday, when they should have been, Botana said. . Comedy Friday 7/28 Tawanda Gona: 7 p.m., Maine House of Comedy, 77 Free St., Portland. But according to emails between school finance department staff and city finance employees who tried to help, the districts controller, a relatively new employee who had not regularly managed payroll, was working to get payroll out the night that those overpayments were sent to the bank. Hoose wrote that she was told staffing was the main cause, which officials confirmed at meetings on Nov. 10 and Nov. 15. More than 50 Portland school district employees packed a school board meeting Tuesday night to voice their concerns about the payroll problems that have plagued the district since October, with many saying they have lost their trust and faith in the district. Welcome to the Human Resources Department of Portland Public Schools, one of Portlands largest employers. Absolutely, we need the help. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS ENTERED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE UNION TO REIMBURSE STAFF FOR BACK FEES AND DEBTS OWNED AS A RESULT OF DELAYED PAYCHECKS. Instead, our payroll staff manually worked around the system, and when those staff were not there to run payroll two left in recent months, and one went on emergency medical leave in October the staff who stepped in did not know all of those manual workarounds. 00:11:46:20 "PLEASE MAKE TIME TO FULLY LAY OUT HOW YOU GOT TO THIS POINT AND WHAT THAT AUDIT REPORT RIGHT NOW DOES DOESN'T DOESN'T GIVE US A VERY GOOD PICTURE. Dowdy, the union president, was the first member of the audience to speak Tuesday night. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sign up to get Maine Wire delivered directly to your inbox: Type above and press Enter to search. Because of some of these problems, unauthorized adjustments can be made by personnel and errors or irregularities could occur and not be identified timely, the audit states. Although the total number of employees who have been affected remains unknown, 140 Portland Public School District employees have communicated outstanding payroll issues to the district, Botana said. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Carol Bahcofner, of Rockland, said that she and other . Please contact HR as soon as possible if you believe you qualify for a change. DURING THE FALL SEMESTER - EMPLOYEES IN THE DISTRICT SUBMITTED MORE THAN 700 PAYROLL COMPLAINTS - REPORTING LATE AND INCORRECT PAYMENTS. ESS is a look into your Human Resources/Payroll profile. Portland Public Schools is committed to attracting, supporting and retaining talented and diverse people who use their strengths to achieve our shared goals. Audit confirms staffing, lack of controls led to payroll problems at You can share 5 more gift articles this month. Below, please find related information to help you with your job search. Already registered? Im devastated by the harm weve caused and laser-focused on both ensuring staff are paid their very hard-earned money and fixing the systemic problems so nothing like this can happen again. Already have a commenting profile? The district will transfer its payroll processing to human resources software company ADP this week. 27 years 5 months Payroll Manager Mar 1996 - Present27 years 5 months Portland, Maine, United States Financial Specialist Mar 1996 - Present27 years 5 months Weekly payroll processing of. With a Press Herald subscription, you can gift 5 articles each month. Below is a complete list of superintendents in Maine and their salaries for fiscal year 2009, which is july 2008 -june 2009, the most recent data available and includes salary only (dept. The Portland Public School District has paid $70,000 to 392 employees who were impacted by the district's fall payroll issues in which hundreds of the district's 1,500 employees went unpaid. There has been no indication that the school districts recent payroll issues have negatively impacted the citys bond rating.
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