Man, that really does sound like a steaming load. Something really does smell rotten in there somewhere. If they have some rich philanthropist on the board and are receiving grant money, then where the hell is it all going if not to the teacher and school supplies? For a private school they seem no better equipped than your average urban public school. Sounds like the perfect job for a forensic accountant.
I hope things get straightened out – both financially for you and ethically for the school. It’s truly sad to see such a crucial service like education being apparently misused and abused and mismanaged so badly.
I’ve constructed a time line of all attempts at communication and saved copies of emails back and forth. I can dig out the voicemails if I need to (how I’d rather not, but this isn’t about what I’d rather, is it?)
I’ve sent the certified return receipt letter with the official, legall required language demanding she make good on the check. Ten days after receipt, if I have received nothing, then I get to file official charges with the county district attorney. The lackey there was extremely sympathetic.
I’ve sent a Wage Claim to the Texas Workforce Commission with documentation of the bounced paycheck and all the information I have on my former principal. Looks to me like they follow up on that immediately. No 10 day waiting period.
From here, I get to:
notify my friend (whom I helped get a job there, woe is me) of the goings on. While she’s only teaching twice a week for what amounts to pocket money, I don’t want her stung either. I’m hoping she’ll have the chance to tell the others there.
notify the parent I stayed in contact with. She’s not big in the parent hierarchy, but they all know one another and talk frequently.
start looking up info on the Board of Trustees. Other than the rich lady, I know there’s at least one person from a very prestigious girls’ private school, and an official from the local community college.
What really sucks is that by going through official routes, it looks like I give up on the possibility of recouping my nearly $400 in bank fees. Unless maybe the county shares its penalty fee with me. I doubt it.
I keep trying to do the math in my head. There are just over 20 regular students for the school, so she’s pulling in approximately $100K in tuition. I have no idea how much the grants are, but they probably add up to at least five figures. The teaching staff is part time and paid a pittance, mostly because the working conditions are so good. Seriously, the pay is probably half of what public schools pay, and then cut that in half again because it’s part time.
They get the building from the local community college extension. They pay some rent, but I don’t think it’s much, because there’s no maintenance or upkeep. The local housing service keeps an office there, and I think they pay the school rent for that. Everything else in the building, from student desks to school supplies to computers, is donated. At the beginning of August, they finished up seven weeks of summer school with probably fifteen students at $150 a week a kid. That’s $2250 times 7, or $15,750, and it should be gravy.
How on Earth can she not make payroll? Even if something catastrophic happened in August, the parents have to pay at least a quarter of the tuition due before the kid can start school. That’s $25K right there, and the regular staff doesn’t see their paychecks until October.
Where the hell is the money? Where the hell is MY money (BITCH)?
Sweetheart, you’re assuming all the money paid to the school is being used for the school. I wonder what salary she is paying herself? :dubious:
My kids go to a private school. There is none of this shenanigans. I fear you may have uncovered something extremely suspect, and after you and the other employees, I feel horrible for the students, whose parents are trying to rescue them from the public school system.
This is one of those cases where it’s to bad you didn’t cash the check at her bank and go deposit it at your’s. They either have the funds to cover the check or they don’t abd they can’t take back the money later.
The thing is you would have gotten the money before any checks submitted on that account after you, so at least nobody after you has a their money either. She may have a new account so the current teachers have gotten paid this year, and not seen the bouncing checks bit yet. How many before you are also dealing with this?
About three months before your birthday, you should receive a statement from the Social Security Administration showing your earnings for each year. I recommend checking it carefully this year, because someone who can bounce payroll checks might not be paying the appropriate amounts in FICA and income taxes (so also check the W2 or 1099 you get from the employer at yearend).
IANAL, but I don’t see any reason why you could not take her to small claims court for the bounced check fees.
It’s worth a phone call to check up on anyway.
How in the world is issuing a bad check not some sort of fraud, just like writing a bad check to a store? I see people arrested for that regularly. It’s one thing not to pay you, but she paid with a bad check. Crazy bitch, I hope you nail her ass.
Or perhaps this. She’s got some tips on getting your money…and getting her drink on.
I worked for a CPA firm and one of our clients was a day care center that was funded by grants as well as parent-paid tuition. Her books were a mess when the account was dumped on me. She had thousands in back taxes (Fed and NYS), loans from her mother, was “check kiting” between two accounts, wasn’t keeping track of expenses, and was racking up exorbitant accounting bills because of the mess I had to dig through.
I don’t know how it happened in the first place, as she didn’t pay herself much, but I can see how a situation can snowball to an uncontrollable point.
I really sympathize with you, phouka. I hope she gets everything she deserves and you get everything to which you’re entitled.
But since you’ve initiated legal action, it might be a good idea to not discuss this in a public forum. Just a suggestion, IANAL and all that, but other similar threads have been closed (mostly at the OP’s request) when stuff gets this far.
It’s not that hard to understand. She’s a teacher, not a bookkeeper. Some people just don’t know how to run the business side of a business and run it into the ground.
I may yet make the request to close the thread, but it felt sooooo good to rant.
Currently, I’m in a wait and see situation. I still need to locate members of the Board of Trustees and talk with them. I received my SS update last month. It should be around here somewhere for me to check. I know she messed up my federal income tax withholding, as she’s only taking a couple of bucks out each month, as opposed to the +$20 I always request.
I suspect that it’s what Nutty Bunny and Ms. Robyn have suggested. She’s rather disorganized and procrastinating, even for a teacher. I suspect that she’s gotten over her head, lost track of her finances, and gone pear shaped. If that’s the case, bringing in the Board of Trustees might be what saves the school.
Q: If she isn’t meeting payroll, could that mean she isn’t meeting required payroll tax deadlines? Nothing says ‘Audit’ ‘Penalties’ ‘Fines’ and ‘Compounded Interest’ faster than screwing up payroll taxes.
Advice?
Save a personal day in reserve from your new job.
Dry-clean a red dress for her arraignment. If the Court Bailiff allows, take pictures.
Top marks for the rant. If cold, smoldering anger wasn’t a contradiction in terms, that’s how I’d describe it. I think the only swear word was “fuck”, minimal name calling, no gratuitous imagery, and yet the anger sears through. Well done!
