Payroll Snarls Cause Anger, Frustration In Several Urban Districts

By Robert C. Johnston

Nearly two months into the school year, some big-city districts are still working out kinks in their payroll systems that have caused embarrassing and frustrating problems. In some cases, hundreds of teachers have not been paid correctly or on time; in others, checks have gone to dead people.

Philadelphia administrators told the school board last week they have made payroll adjustments going back as far as the summer for more than 3,000 employees. Meanwhile, more than 900 District of Columbia school employees were asked to pick up their checks in person last month because of payroll problems there.

And Detroit officials were scrambling to figure out why more than 300 employees were paid late or not...