AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated the pay glitch impacting more than 1,000 AISD employees was resolved after the district sent out a statement saying so. However, the school district later said some employees may not get paid until Monday.
A payroll issue at Austin ISD that left more than 1,000 employees without a paycheck Friday has not been completely resolved yet.
The district told KVUE Friday afternoon that all but 12 employees had not received their pay, saying the issue with a bank causing the delay was resolved. That came after AISD confirmed earlier in the day that more than 1,000 teachers had not been paid.
However, the district said Friday night that some employees may not see their checks until Monday. The number of employees still without pay is not clear.
"We are very sorry for the challenges this has caused you. Due to these circumstances, you may not receive payment until Monday morning, May 2. Please know we are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that this situation does not happen again," the district said in part.
AISD added that if employees experience any late fees because of the issue, they should reach out to the payroll department.
Several teachers first reached out to KVUE Friday morning to report that they had not received their paychecks. Austin ISD confirmed to KVUE that the district experienced a payroll issue that affected 1,320 employees. The district said the delay was due to an issue with a bank.
The president of Education Austin, the union representing AISD employees, Ken Zarifis said they have been contacted by many employees who are worried about overdrafts and late fees. Zarifis said the district should not have said the issue was resolved if not everyone has gotten paid.
"There's been no assurance that the district will pay for them. We're demanding the district not only let employees contact them about the charges but that they also pay for every charge related to this and do it in a timely fashion. This is unacceptable," Zarifis said.
Emmaleigh Toto has been a teacher at AISD for nearly a decade. She's one of the people who have not been paid yet.
"I'm expecting my paycheck to post so that I don't get overdrawn," Toto said.
Teachers are paid monthly, which is why Toto said they can't afford to not be paid in time. Toto said she understands mistakes happen, but that she wishes the district would have been more transparent about it.
"I think just being transparent, open, honest, that would have sent a much stronger message. It also would have made me as an employee of the district, one that's been there for a while, feel like I was valued and respected. So just more transparency, just being honest with, 'Hey, we screwed up, and yeah, it stinks. Nobody likes not getting paid on time, but this is what we're going to do to fix it,'" Toto said.
At a school board meeting on May 5, AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said the district's bank didn't communicate to tell them clearly about what went wrong and that it all came down to "human error."
"But there is no excuse for what occurred. And I am deeply, deeply sorry that this happened," she said.
The district's chief financial officer said the department has changed its processes and deadline for processing payroll to keep the issue from happening in the future.
The pay glitch comes as teachers are pushing for higher pay.
Just one day before the paycheck issue, Austin ISD employees demanded change and pushed for the district to increase pay for all school staff next year at a rally called "At What Cost" outside of the district headquarters. Teachers, bus drivers, parents and students took part in the rally hosted by Education Austin, the union representing AISD teachers and staff.
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