LANCASTER
-For the second month in a row, more
than 800 faculty for the Lancaster Independent School District experienced
another payroll mishap.
According to district officials, an
electronic transfer between the district and its bank didn’t post correctly,
meaning the funds were not available for payday.
Last month’s glitch was due to
staffing changes in the payroll department.
Anita
McPartland, spokeswoman for the district, said the district just “missed a
step” last time.
When questioned if the district was
running out of money,McPartland
replied, “ absoultley not, the funds are there and all checks were paid.”
The checks were printed and hand
delivered to the employees.
James Damm, the conservator
appointed last year by the Texas Education Foundation to monitor the district’s
finances, reportedly wasn’t aware of the second glitch according to other media
reports but McPartland assured he has been notified.
Lancaster ISD has been facing
difficulty with financial issues for years with the TEA audit revealing
inflated attendance figures, questionable purchases by school officials using
the districts credit card with $6 million in improperly recorded debt.
Dr.Dana Marable, interim superintendent, is
meeting with the district's bank representatives this week to ensure the
problems are fixed prior to the next payroll.
The
school board is still currently working on finding a permanent replacement
after the lone finalist, Pamela Morris of Sealy ISD, went through contract
negotiations.
