Baltimore Teachers Union demands missing pay for dozens of members

Lillian Hlavin says Baltimore City Public Schools owes her more than eight weeks of pay.

Hlavin used to teach fourth grade at the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, where she’d accrued more than 340 hours of vacation time before the charter school closed in June. The district still owes her a payout for that time, she said, but the only money she’s received since July 2 is a $500 check with no explanation of what it covers.

Hlavin is among roughly 60 city schools employees who have reported being underpaid or not paid at all since May, according to the Baltimore Teachers Union. At a Monday afternoon rally outside the school system’s North Avenue headquarters, they demanded a complete accounting of all compensation issues, which they said affected more employees and have persisted far longer than usual.

Union leaders accused school system officials of ignoring their questions about the scope of the problem, and said they fear the issue could affect hundreds more workers.

It’s an especially painful blow as the start of school approaches, when educators often spend hundreds of dollars to stock their classrooms, union leaders said.

Baltimore City Public Schools spokesperson Sherry Christian said in a statement that the district has reviewed about 200 employees’ cases and resolved all but seven, including by issuing payments.

“We are actively resolving outstanding payments owed to Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU) members during the previous school year, before the new CEO’s administration started in July 2026,” Christian said. “To ensure full transparency and resolve any remaining discrepancies, City Schools is currently reviewing prior payment records.”

Union leader Cristina Duncan Evans said the union has identified eight groups of employees who are experiencing pay discrepancies, including employees who work at multiple locations, like counselors, librarians and clinicians, and those who are moving to different schools this year.

Hlavin, the former Baltimore Collegiate teacher, is transferring to William Paca Elementary School this fall.

“The gas I buy to get to North Avenue to advocate for the money I worked for means that for the rest of the week, I will walk or take the bus when I have to go somewhere,” said Hlavin at a union gathering outside the district’s office. “The two hours spent on hold with the district are conducted from my home that is dwindling in comfort due to the heat I’m forced to simmer in because of the bills I cannot yet pay.”

Around 100 members rallied in their signature yellow T-shirts, some holding yellow umbrellas for relief from the sweltering summer sun. Signs included messages like “Pay us what you owe us!” and “RESPOND TO MY EMAILS!” Passing drivers, including the driver of a yellow school bus, honked in support.

While some employees’ situations have been rectified, “this is not the case across the board,” Duncan Evans said. She said she’s aware of more than seven outstanding cases but doesn’t have an estimate yet.

Union leaders demanded in a news release that the district “make every affected employee whole promptly” and that Baltimore City Public Schools “establish safeguards and accountability to prevent future wage-payment failures.”

“Ultimately, unpaid wages could negatively impact retention, working conditions, recruitment, and student learning conditions,” the news release said.

Union leaders pointed out that pay issues occurred after major system upgrades; school system leaders, they said, did not address the causes.

The union also criticized the district for proposing no across-the-board raises for the upcoming school year and a 2% raise for the 2027-2028 school year, along with doubling what employees would cover for their healthcare costs from 6% to 12% on some plans starting in 2028. That would equal higher deductibles, copays and prescription costs on salaries that have been weakened by inflation, union leaders said.

The union is calling on new CEO Jermaine Dawson to provide a “meaningful wage adjustment” while protecting healthcare. The union had proposed a nearly 7% raise for this year, to put city teacher salaries in line with those in the state’s highest-paid district, Montgomery County.

Christian said both the union and the district want to ensure that “our educators receive competitive, deserved compensation” and that leaders will “continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair, sustainable agreement that supports our teachers and serves our students.”

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