Mind YOUR Money!
Well, you wouldn't think that we would need to put out a post like this since we are dealing with teachers that are supposedly responsible people, but..... People! Check your pay stubs EVERY time you get paid and check on your accounts at least once per month!
If you have followed our advice, much of your paycheck is automatically sent to the proper accounts. Everything "should" be correct and getting to the right places. I mean, those are adults working in the business office, aren't they? They are, but they are also human, so sometimes mistakes do happen.
The T.A. and I have been dealing with some major issues in our district regarding our paychecks. We are a small district, so our business office consists of one person. Unfortunately, our business manager took a different job in October. Our district hired an agency to handle the finances until the new business manager was hired. Let's just say that things haven't transitioned very well. Pay amounts were wrong for certain extra-curricular activities, insurance premiums were not deducted, and 403b, HSA, and other various monies were never sent to the proper accounts. At first, we thought it was just due to the transition. It was, but it happened a second pay period and then even into a third! The T.A. and I contacted our superintendent after the first pay period. By the second pay period, we were bugged, but we stayed understanding. I mean, nobody wins if we go in guns blazing, but we had to make sure the right people were aware of what was going on.
The part that really opened our eyes was that many of our colleagues had no idea that their money wasn't getting into their accounts! As long as the money in their checking account made it, they didn't seem to mind that the rest didn't make it! We talked and encouraged them to check their accounts and make sure that their money was there and accurate. It wasn't until we informed them that their insurance premiums might not have been paid that they REALLY perked up. It was as if their 403b money didn't matter. UGH!!!
Now, there was no nefarious activity behind our problems. There was nobody misusing funds or sending them to the wrong place. Apparently codes and passwords needed to be updated with the new company we had hired, but if nobody would have pointed it out, that money might still not be in our accounts earning interest and dividends. Even worse, people might have lapsed on their insurance!
Teachers, we can do better! We have to pay attention to and care about our money. Nobody else is going to care about it for us. If they do, they are trying to get their hands on it!
KEEP STACKIN!
