EDITORIAL: The disruption of Clark County teachers missing their paychecks

Suffice it to say, the Clark County School District’s effort to update its payroll software hasn’t gone as planned. Glitches in the $17 million project have left district employees — including teachers and substitutes — fuming over shorted or missing paychecks.

The anger came to a head last week during a tumultuous School Board meeting. While the district has issued a number of makeup checks to cover the problems, teachers and other workers turned out to impress upon higher-ups that the shortages continue and are causing hardships.

“I can budget, believe me,” said substitute teacher Jamie Gruber, who says the district owes her $2,200. “But how can I budget zero dollars?”

Superintendent Jesus Jara insists he has expressed his displeasure to officials from CherryRoad Technology, the New Jersey-based company behind the payroll fiasco. But that’s of little solace to employees, particularly given that he offered little word on when the problem would be resolved.

That’s not sitting well with many employees. Ms. Gruber, for instance, was led out of the School Board meeting by district police officers after she refused to put down a placard bearing a profanity directed at trustees.

The School Board no doubt has a right to maintain order and decorum at community meetings. Ms. Gruber got what she deserved for her puerile stunt. But as one longtime education advocate pointed out to us, does anyone see the inherent hypocrisy at work here? If trustees may police their meetings by booting community members they deem disruptive, why has the district handcuffed teachers when it comes to removing disruptive or profane students from their classrooms?

Ask teachers about the most frustrating aspect of their jobs, and there’s a good chance they’ll talk about classroom discipline and administration attempts to curtail the punishment of students who repeatedly act up. “Nearly a quarter of principals and over half of teachers surveyed … listed student discipline as a major source of friction in the principal-teacher relationship at their school,” noted an October essay in Education Week.

In Clark County, Mr. Jara has implemented well-meaning “restorative discipline” policies intended to limit suspensions and expulsions, particularly among minority students. But many teachers complain the reform has made it virtually impossible for them to deal with serial disrupters who poison the learning environment for other students.

Clearly, the School Board operates under no such restraint. So perhaps if the trustees and superintendent are intent on minimizing the ability of classroom educators to effectively handle unruly students, they could at least make it a priority to ensure teachers get their full paychecks on time.