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Posted on Mon, May. 16, 2005
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School workers quit after letters

About 50 custodians in the Olathe School District resigned recently after receiving letters informing them that their Social Security numbers did not match their names.

A few food-service workers also resigned after receiving letters, according to the district.

The majority of the resignations happened in April. While all the vacated positions have been filled, more resignations continue to trickle in.

“I would suspect it is because they are undocumented� immigrants, Superintendent Ron Wimmer said. “There’s no other reason to leave their jobs.�

The Olathe district employs 208 custodians and 245 food-service workers. Some of those who resigned had been district employees for several years.

Gary George, the district’s superintendent for management services, said the district did not fire any of the employees or ask them to resign.

The district mailed 84 registered letters after receiving notification from the Social Security Administration about mismatched numbers.

In the letters, the district asked employees to “inform us of the name and Social Security numbers exactly as shown� on their Social Security card. It also gave the employee the option of working out the problem with the Social Security office directly.

The Social Security Administration began sending no-match letters to employers in 1994, said John Garlinger, spokesman for the Kansas City region. Before that, letters were sent only to employees.

A 2003 study conducted by the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago showed that some employers had used the letters to fire employees whose records didn’t match.

The Social Security Administration emphasizes that its program is not designed to enforce immigration laws but to ensure employees’ earnings are properly credited.

In Olathe, Westview Elementary’s lead custodian met with Wimmer on April 22. She said some of the custodians who left her school were from Mexico, didn’t read English and didn’t understand what was happening, Wimmer said.

“She says they hear rumors and they think INS is going to come in and get them,� Wimmer said.

Neighboring school districts Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission said they had not received any correspondence from the Social Security Administration this year.

Wimmer said Olathe has more Hispanic employees than nearby districts.

“There’s a high concentration of Hispanic families in Olathe,� he said. “The employees we’ve had have been excellent and probably have made referrals to family members and friends that Olathe is a good place to work.�
To reach Noemi Herrera, call (816) 234-7729 or send e-mail to nherrera@kcstar.com.