The Bureau of Missing Paychecks

 In the 1970’s the city used to cut high school allocations for teachers every February according to January graduations and attendance. Teachers were then excessed based on their seniority in that school. I’ll just share one story. Well, maybe it’s two.

I was new to John F. Kennedy HS that fall, and finally working on a teacher line instead of a para line. (A story for another day.) They wanted to keep me, but failing that, they thought they could place me in a good position because Stevenson HS had an opening. I visited there and met the AP, who gave me a program and textbooks.

I still had to attend a placement event at which they called us up one at a time and handed us a paper with our new school listed. When I got to the front of the line the head of HR, Mr. Thomas, gave me a paper that directed me to John Jay HS in Brooklyn. I told him, “I thought I was going to Stevenson.”

Mr. Thomas angrily replied, “We don’t take requests!” When I opened my mouth to explain that this was not a request, he quickly gestured to two security guards, who grabbed me and physically deposited me on the sidewalk outside.

So I went to John Jay, met the AP and received a program and textbooks. But before the new semester began, I received a new notice sending me to Lehman HS. That lasted three weeks.

On a Friday afternoon the Lehman AP informed me that I had been replacing a teacher on sabbatical, but that the sabbatical had been rescinded because 65 Court decided his paperwork was incomplete. I had been reassigned to Brooklyn Tech.

Now in those days we all received paper paychecks. They were delivered to the school two weeks after the end of the pay period, so it was not a huge surprise to me when there was no check for me on payday. Which of the five (5!) schools I had been assigned to would it arrive at?

I needed the money, of course. Landlords and grocery stores weren’t interested in my story. So I went to the Board of Education's offices at 65 Court Street in Brooklyn and told the security guard I needed the Bureau of Missing Paychecks. I made the name up, but I figured it would work. Sure enough, he directed me to the 5th floor. I found a split door - with the top open and the bottom locked - facing a blank wall. There was no bell, so I knocked. After a few minutes I knocked again. Eventually a man appeared from around the inside corner who listened to my story then said, “Six to eight weeks” and then disappeared again inside. Tears came to my eyes, because - you know - landlords and grocery stores, and… six to eight weeks?

But I reminded myself that I had gone there to get my paycheck, not to cry. So I climbed over that split door and walked around the corner. I found that man at his desk doing a crossword puzzle. Sitting on his desk, directly in front of him, was a paycheck with my name in bold letters. He picked it up without a word and handed it to me.

I briefly considered choking him out. But then I reminded myself that I had gone there to get my paycheck, not to be arrested. So I walked back around to the hall, climbed back over the split door, and went home.

I have more stories like this, including more about Mr. Thomas, but this is enough for today