Prince George’s County school officials are scrambling to find reserve funds to use in case they have to pay $6 million in fees and fines ordered by the federal government. “We are still discussing strategies, and the budget and finance office is reviewing and identifying funds to cover potential fees,” said Lynn McCawley, a spokeswoman for the school system.
The school system is appealing the fines, McCawley said, ordered Monday by the Department of Labor, which said the school system violated labor laws with its H-1B temporary visa program.
The program allows employers to hire foreign professionals, many who came to Prince George’s County from the Philippines, to its classrooms and work temporarily in the county.
More than 1,000 of those teachers paid for filing fees and other related costs that the school system should have paid, according to Daniel Cronin, a labor official, in a letter to the school system.
The school system — already facing a budget crisis with a $155 million funding gap heading into next fiscal year — has disputed the Labor Department’s contention that it was a “willful violator” of labor laws.
The Department of Labor said that violations “are willful when an employer knew or acted in reckless disregard for whether its actions were impermissible.”
The school system was ordered to pay $4.2 million back to the teachers and $1.7 million in additional fines. Superintendent William Hite said the penalties would have “a devastating impact” on schools.
Asked if the system will have to ask the county council, which is in the process of approving the school’s fiscal 2012 budget, for more funds to help with the fines, McCawley didn’t rule it out. She also said it’s also too early to estimate the school system’s legal expenses for making the appeal.
Labor spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander said the administrative law judge who will hear the appeal has 60 days from the date the school system was notified of the violations to schedule a hearing.
