Tutors are a vital part of the school system nowadays. Many schools now offer tutoring services and employ college students or graduates to act as tutors. However, one charter school is dealing with employment disputes about the pay for tutors employed by the school. Anyone who works as a tutor in Colorado or who is contracted to work hourly may want to follow the story of the charter school.
The tutoring program at the school was initially a volunteer opportunity with a stipend and free housing. However, the program then changed to paying tutors an hourly rate of $8. The charter school also decided to charge the tutors for housing and to no longer support the costs of their health insurance.
The changes were not well received. Tutors came forward with allegations that they were essentially being overworked and not paid for the actual number of hours worked. According to one report, the tutors were working up to 60 hours a week and told to under-report their actual hours. The tutoring program has started to reimburse the cost of health insurance and has added vacation days and sick days.
Anyone who works more hours than they thought was part of the job may benefit from understanding the laws pertaining to overtime pay. It may also benefit Colorado workers to fully understand any contracts or agreements as they outline the duties, hours and any additional compensation, such as a housing allowance. When both parties are clear about expectations and the current laws, many employment disputes can be avoided or easily resolved.
Source: The Boston Globe, Dispute over tutors’ pay roils Match Charter School, James Vaznis, Dec. 30, 2013