Alabama bill would allow semi-monthly payments for board of education employees

A high school classroom in Florida. Rep. Ontario Tillman, D-Bessemer, has filed a bill that would allow semi-monthly payments for education employees. (Getty Images))

An Alabama lawmaker has filed a bill that would give local boards of education the option to pay their employees semi-monthly.

HB 32, sponsored by Rep. Ontario Tillman, D-Bessemer, would make the payment dates the first and 16th of each month, with modifications for weekends and holidays. Boards have the option to opt out of the legislation with a written resolution filed with the State Department of Education.

“It pretty much changes the way that a teacher or a school employee receives their paycheck, so instead of being paid once a month, it provides and gives the local school boards the options to pay their employees semi-monthly,” he said.

Tillman, a former teacher, said he had heard complaints from teachers about how they are paid. He also said that new teachers often need to wait a month or a month and a half to receive their first paycheck.

“This is a way to kind of try to cut down that time of that person going without receiving any type of compensation for the work they’re doing,” he said.

The legislation states that it is not the intent of the Legislature for the semi-monthly payments to reduce pay.

Tillman said the bill would still allow board members to choose to pay once a month.

“Anything and everything that we do will allow the people to make a decision, will allow the people to make that choice, and we provide the mechanism for them to do so,” he said.

Messages seeking comment were left with the Alabama Education Association, which represents public school teachers.

Sally Smith, executive director of Alabama Association of School Boards, said Wednesday they appreciated that the legislation is permissive but she is unsure of the logistics.

Boards get the money to pay employees at the end of the month, which Smith believes is based on tax collection schedules, so there could be a pay flow issue.

“Ask the State Department, ask the Comptroller, what would it take to do this twice a month, because it’s a cash flow situation, and there are a number of boards who would not have the cash flow to be able to do this for their employee,” she said.

Messages seeking comment on the legislation were left with the Alabama State Department of Education and the Comptroller’s office Thursday morning. The bill says “The state comptroller, the state superintendent of education, and the state board of education shall adopt policies to implement the provisions of this section.”

She said it would require the same amount of work from local officials the comptroller and the Alabama State Department of Education twice a month. Smith said that people aren’t unwilling to change, but it’s a significant amount of work.

“It’s not a matter of just pressing a button, so this is also administrative overhead, and likely at three different levels, the state would have to do it, the comptroller’s office would have to do it,” she said.