St. Croix Teachers Who Worked Through Summer Have Not Been Paid, Ed. Commish Disappointed

Teachers on St. Croix who worked during the summer months have not been paid, Education Commissioner Donna Frett-Gregory has revealed.

The Commissioner was made aware of the situation on Friday and expressed her disappointment.

“I think it’s critical, based on information that I received today, that our St. Croix teachers have not been paid for work they have done over the summer, that I publicly express my sincere disappointment over this situation,” Frett-Gregory said.

In light of the disheartening situation, the commissioner said she has taken steps to assure the affected teachers that payments will be made soon.

“While St. Croix Superintendent Gary Molloy is on leave, I have instructed Deputy St. Croix Superintendents Maria Encarnacion and Janine Schuster to ensure that those individuals with already-approved per diems and timesheets be paid by the next pay period,” Frett-Gregory added.

She continued: “I have further instructed that a letter be sent to all employees that have not been paid advising them of the situation and when in fact a payment will be made.”

The Commissioner chastised the District of St. Croix leadership on its failure to compensate teachers, saying that, “I expect our District leadership to ensure that when people work, they are in fact paid. I deeply regret this situation and have directed the District to rectify this mistake immediately.”

In September, Commissioner Frett-Gregory said the territory was losing teachers to the U.S., forcing retirees to fill the empty slots.

“We continue to be plagued with the continuous last-minute submissions of notification from employees advising of the intent to leave,” Frett-Gregory said. “Since our last report, 29 employees, territorially, have separated prior to the opening of the school year 2014-2015. An additional 10 employees have also submitted notifications, advising of their intent to separate on September 30, 2014.”