Former JCCEO employees say they aren’t getting paid

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Former Head Start employees spoke to WBRC about not getting paid. They tell us they learned about it the same day that the JCCEO announced it would try and survive its financial collapse.

“We’re just being told basically nothing,” Christopher Evans, M.Ed, a former JCCEO employee said.

Anger and frustration are being felt by former Head Start employees after they received an email Wednesday from the JCCEO saying there isn’t any money to pay them even though they were initially told they would be paid for the week before and after Thanksgiving. JCCEO used to run the program, but a private agency took over. All workers were laid off including Christopher Evans, who was a center manager for JCCEO for over a year.

“Previously we didn’t get paid on time about two weeks ago and so now we’re not getting our last paycheck so we have staff such as myself and staff behind me that will not get paid going into the Christmas holiday,” Evans said.

Evans says they were told all the money sent for Head Start was put into one account and it was all spent. They were also told there are no funds available to pay for their last payroll check.

“That does not help when we have bills to pay. The first of the month has already passed. Rent is already due,” Evans said.

Evans tells us a paycheck is one thing. He also feels bad for the hundreds of children who took part in the head start program.

“We have 802 children that are not being served because of the gross mismanagement that were sent to serve the most neediest population and so because we are not being paid, it just makes us feel like was all of our time and attention to those children, was it worth it?” Evans added. “

We’re still waiting to hear back from the JCCEO. Some of the former employees plan to protest Friday at the JCCEO. Some of them have also applied for positions with the agency now in charge of Head Start.

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