ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Another payroll issue has emerged for employees of the Rochester City School District, this time concerning their W-2 tax forms. The district has advised employees not to file their taxes yet due to potential inaccuracies on the forms.
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Adam Urbanski, President of the Rochester Teachers Association, expressed his frustration over the ongoing payroll problems. “And this is now getting to be unbearable,” said Urbanski.
The district’s robocall to employees indicated that boxes 12, 13, and 14 on the W-2s might be missing information or contain incorrect data. These boxes typically include details on withholdings such as 401(k) contributions and flexible spending accounts.
“Because of this, we strongly advise that no one use their current W-2 to file taxes at this time,” the robocall message said.
News10NBC’s Berkeley Brean asked Urbanski about the feedback from union members. Urbanski responded, “Frustration like – is this the gang that can’t shoot straight?”
Maria Gonzales, a psychologist with 26 years in the district, shared her concerns. “It’s just another slap in the face, another issue we have to deal with,” Gonzales said. She noted her W-2 has empty boxes and an incorrect salary.
Last June, the Rochester School Board approved a new payroll system. By July, teachers reported not getting paid. The teacher’s union sued the district in October, but the lawsuit was dismissed in November, with the court labeling the problems as a “mistake” that a lawsuit couldn’t fix. Now, the issue has shifted to W-2s.
Brean asked Gonzales about the impact of these issues. “I don’t know if I’m going to get paid. I don’t know if my contributions are going to make it to the correct places,” Gonzales said.
The district acknowledged the issue in a statement, attributing it to a “system migration problem” that might have led to missing pre-tax contribution information on some forms. Employees have been advised not to file taxes with the current W-2s as the district works with ADP to address the issue. The district aims to ensure all W-2s are accurate by the federal January 31 deadline.
The union claims this issue affects anyone who didn’t get paid over the summer and those who made pre-tax contributions, potentially impacting thousands. The union also links the payroll and W-2 issues to the resignations of 80 teachers since the summer, noting there are more mid-year resignations than end-of-year retirements.
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