Superintendent updates board on payroll state of emergency and progress on ticket backlog

Superintendent Wayne gave an update on the district’s ongoing payroll state of emergency, describing measurable progress while warning that substantial work remains to fully stabilize pay systems.

Wayne said the district is tracking a key performance indicator to reduce the employee-ticket backlog to under 1,000 within 90 days; at the time of the presentation staff reported about 2,591 open tickets and noted a recent week in which they closed 94 tickets. The district has expanded its call center and reported that 90% of calls are now being answered, reducing wait times for employees.

Wayne also addressed tax-withholding issues: SFUSD did not submit tax-withholding information to the state in a timely manner, but the district has submitted corrections to the Franchise Tax Board and reconciliations to the IRS and is providing tax-preparation support and financial advice to affected employees.

He described the use of Alvarez & Marsal to develop a corrective-action plan and acknowledged ongoing staffing and procurement constraints that make meeting the 90-day KPI challenging. The superintendent said the district would continue weekly command-center monitoring, bring in additional staff resources, and return with another update next month.