Teacher assistants report pay issues in Vicksburg-Warren School District

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Teacher assistants across the Vicksburg-Warren School District say they are seeing reduced pay on recent checks following a payroll audit.

Many teacher assistants received an email stating that, due to an audit covering October 2025 through March 2026, their pay will be affected until any overpaid balances are resolved.

VWSD’s Communications Director Leah Hunter responded to an email from VDN about this situation.

“Earlier this school year, the Vicksburg Warren School District’s school board approved a 5% salary increase for assistant teachers as part of the District’s transition to a 12-month employment cycle,” the response said. “In late September and early October, the Human Resources department issued each affected employee a letter documenting their new annual salary as a result of the board-approved raise. Under the correct pay structure, that annual amount is divided equally across 10 months to determine each employee’s monthly compensation.”

“During a routine payroll audit, the District identified a miscalculation in the payroll system that resulted in some employees being overpaid. The District takes full responsibility for the error and acknowledges that the initial communication to employees surrounding the matter did not meet the standard of clarity and transparency they deserved.”

Teacher assistants in the district are hourly employees. According to the district’s website, starting pay is $13.48 per hour for current new hires.

The issue has prompted several employees to contact the Vicksburg Daily News with concerns.

Following the discrepancies, Associate Superintendent Eric Green sent a message to staff acknowledging the issue. He said communication surrounding the matter was not handled as well as it should have been.

The message states:

Good Morning District,

We want to follow up regarding the recent communication about hourly payroll adjustments and acknowledge the concern many employees have after receiving that message and direct deposit information. We also want to acknowledge that the communication surrounding this matter was not handled as well as it should have been. Employees deserved clearer information, better timing, and a more thoughtful rollout than what occurred. That shortcoming is on us, and we take responsibility for it.

As part of our ongoing review of the salary adjustments implemented this school year, we identified some inconsistencies involving certain hourly employee pay calculations. Our goal now is to correct those matters carefully, accurately, and fairly.

At this time, no final decision has been made on how we will correct the miscalculations. We will work throughout the day today to find a workable solution to this issue. We deeply value the work our hourly employees do each day across the district, and we understand that you need your pay to be accurately reflected in your monthly check. You are essential to the success of our schools and the service we provide students.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this process. Additional information will be shared as soon as it is available.

Sincerely,

Eric M. Green

Associate Superintendent