By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Dermell Brunson, founder and president of Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center (LTYC), is speaking publicly for the first time since a group of former Baltimore City Public School teachers filed a lawsuit against his organization and the school district earlier this month, alleging unpaid wages.
Brunson said LTYC, a long-time partner of Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), has struggled in the last 18 months with delayed payments from several partners— a problem he attributes to outdated invoicing systems, limited staffing and shrinking school budgets under the 47th president’s administration.
“When you submit your invoice, you’re already waiting the first 60 days and then if there’s an error on a purchase order, an invoice error, human errors internally from LTYC or something the school made a mistake on in terms of the receipt, it takes way too long to then correct it and get your payment on either side,” said Brunson. “On average, we’re seeing that we’re waiting three and four months to get payment for services that have been rendered months before.”
Brunson said that his team predicted the rise in late payments before the 2024 school year began. In August 2024, he met with the contracted instructors to explain that funding challenges were becoming greater for small nonprofits, like LTYC. The delays, he added, have been further compounded by post-COVID 19 credit constraints and cash-flow issues, tighter banking requirements— particularly for Black-led nonprofits— and changes under the new presidential administration.
“Once there was a change in the administration in the White House, we saw the bottom fall out. Our ability to go get funding from a grantmaker or funder or to get not high-interest lines of credit or loan options changed,” said Brunson. “We’re now in a season where we can’t go 30 to 60 days or beyond without getting paid. We can maybe hold on for 30 days, but once it gets to 45 days, 60 days or three or four months, there is nothing we can do. We have to wait for the contractual payments.”
Brunson also clarified that though some reports suggested LTYC received a $7.5 million contract from City Schools, the funds are spread across several years and disbursed in installments. Portions of the contract remain unpaid. In general, payments from City Schools—and from other partners— arrive on their own schedule and are not tied directly to when services are rendered.
Brunson said LTYC took steps to mitigate the impact on contractors, including partial payments and emergency support for transportation, groceries, rent and other necessities, as well as consistent communication about expected delays.
He also emphasized that the arts instructors doing the work are independent contractors, not employees, who signed agreements containing a discretionary payment clause, which allows LTYC to make payments as funding is received from its partners. In February and March, Brunson gave instructors the opportunity to end their contracts if the delays caused hardship.
While Brunson stressed that LTYC has acted in good faith and has no history of financial mismanagement, the educators involved in the lawsuit say the delayed payments have caused them substantial financial hardship.
On Oct. 10, eight former educators filed a lawsuit against City Schools and Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center (LTYC), asserting that they’re still waiting to receive pay for April, May and June.
The educators worked for various schools in the district. Cedric Benning, one of the plaintiffs, told the AFRO the ordeal has cost him his financial stability.
“I’ve faced numerous cut-off notices and threats of repossession. You name it, I’m behind on everything,” said Benning, former media arts and computer science teacher at Booker T. Washington Middle School. “I’ve had to borrow money from my mom to stay afloat. I’ve had family members chip in and help me out. I’ve had credit cards closed on me. Now, they’re in collections. It’s just been terrible.”
In the complaint, Benning and the other plaintiffs allege that Brunson began missing their monthly paydays in December 2024. However, Brunson says payment problems didn’t begin until the January invoice.
When payments did arrive, plaintiffs say they often only amounted to a portion— sometimes a third or half— of what they were owed. The instructors claimed that this cycle continued through the end of the school year and that they never received payments for April, May and June. However, Brunson says every teacher has now been paid up to May 1, with a large portion of the instructors receiving a partial payment for work they did in May.
Benning described the lawsuit as a last resort for him and his colleagues. He asserted that Brunson has not returned his emails, calls and texts.
“It’s been very frustrating. You’re sitting in your home broke not because you didn’t work— you’re broke because you did go to work,” said Benning.
“Imagine how that plays with your mental health,” added Benning. “You’re getting up and going to work every day, feeding yourself, trying to find money for gas to get there because these kids are expecting you there. That’s the main reason why we stayed working. They don’t know anything about finances or repossession. All they know is they want Mr. Benning in class.”
In response to the lawsuit’s allegations, a spokesperson for City Schools clarified the district’s role.
“We are reviewing the matter and will respond appropriately. However, we have been clear that any failure on the part of LTYC to pay their employees is solely the responsibility of LTYC,” said the spokesperson. “City Schools has paid its obligations to LTYC, $600,000 to date, authorized in our purchase order.”
Though Brunson said he bears no animosity toward the school system, he said he is still waiting for invoice payments from last school year. Looking ahead, he said LTYC is pursuing partnerships, new revenue streams and the hiring of its first CEO to strengthen the organization’s financial footing.
