I’m pretty sure the public is unaware of what is going on in our school systems here in Henderson. Vance County Schools has failed to pay our Teacher Assistants the correct amount for a number of years for the job of substituting in the classroom when teachers were absent according to the State law indicated in the “Salary Manual – Public Schools of North Carolina”. Will McLean has met with some of our schools concerning the huge mistake that has been made. He has alluded to the fact that if Teacher Assistants pursue the money owed to them that they will no longer be employed by Vance County Schools.
When employees ask when they will be paid for the pay that is owed to them Linda Basket, head of payroll for Vance County Schools has been noted as saying they won’t receive any back pay. Angela Miles, assistant to Human Resources Director Will McLean, has stated basically the same thing as well. Principals in our schools have for many years told TA’s that they have to substitute teach when a teacher is out with no extra pay nor any compensation whatsoever however NC state law states they are not allowed to do that.
Some of our TA’s are owed thousands of dollars so saying that they will not pay them is unreal. Since being caught they are not asking TA’s to sub but are combining classrooms when a teacher is out. That means on some days there could be as many as 30 kids in a class. This is a law suit in the making if the County refuses to pay what is owed to our teachers. Something fishy is going on in our Vance County Central Office once again.
NC State law states as follows …
D. TEACHER ASSISTANTS AS A SUBSTITUTE
When a teacher assistant is assigned to serve as a substitute teacher, the daily rate paid shall be the same as the daily rate for an entry level teacher with an ‘A’ license (A-00) (calculated on 21.5 days).
An absence code (Reason Code 37) is to be charged to the regular teacher assistant assignment (object code 142) for each day or half-day the teacher assistant serves as a substitute. The PRC for the payment of the teacher assistant’s substitute payment is the same PRC from which the teacher assistant is normally paid, with the exception of substitute payment for staff development activities.
Another perfect example of the Graham Ave. crew screwing over some of the hardest working people in the school system. As far as Will McLean……now that’s a joke all by itself. I say all the TA’s need to contact the regional NCAE President and see if there is anything that can be done. If not……all of them need to get together and walk out until they are treated as equals. In a perfect classroom an outsider can’t walk into the room and tell who is the Teacher and who is the Teacher Asst. I know many TA’s and they work tirelessly running off papers, lunch duty, hall duty, bus duty, etc. while most of the Teachers are sitting in the lounge during their planning period talking about things that don’t even relate to academics. Thank the GOOD LORD my son has a wonderful teacher and teacher asst. who co-teach. The kids don’t know who the “real” teacher is b/c both adults are Teachers in my son’s eyes!!! Thanks to all the hard working TA’s!!!