Teachers tell SFUSD board payroll errors left many owing taxes and facing July pay gaps

Teachers, parents and union representatives used public comment time at the April 26 meeting to press the San Francisco Unified School District to fix ongoing payroll problems caused by the district’s transition to the Empower payroll system.

Multiple educators described underpayments, incorrect tax withholdings, delayed or missing checks, and 403(b) contributions that were deducted but not posted. Several said the errors go back to January 2021 and that human resources and payroll help tickets produced little timely response. Teachers asked the district to provide one‑on‑one financial consultations and to use the district’s rainy‑day fund to make July paychecks whole so staff are not forced into debt.

Union representatives from United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) and community advocates urged the board to make a near‑term commitment to ensure educators do not suffer catastrophic July pay errors. UESF’s executive vice president, Frank Lara, said the association had raised concerns about personnel needs and the Empower rollout for months and warned that many members will be “thousands of dollars in the red” without corrective action.

Speakers also tied these demands to broader staffing and service concerns: several teachers warned that unresolved pay problems would accelerate teacher attrition and harm student programming. Staff and school leaders acknowledged the issues during the meeting and were asked to follow up directly with affected employees.

Board members referenced the public comments while discussing other agenda items and asked staff to report back and coordinate with UESF and site leaders. The superintendent committed to having staff follow up with individuals who raised specific payroll problems.

Next steps requested by callers and commissioners include: a district plan to use rainy‑day funds if necessary, expedited payroll case resolution for affected staff, and regular status reporting to the board on corrective actions.