Board approves tentative agreement with teachers over payroll errors after hours of public testimony

The San Francisco Board of Education voted to approve a tentative agreement with United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) aimed at resolving widespread payroll errors that left some employees unpaid, incorrectly taxed or missing benefits. The motion passed by roll call after public comment from teachers and union representatives describing financial hardship and demanding accountability.

Acting Chief of Labor Relations presented the agreement to the board and recommended approval. Speakers at the in-person and virtual public comment periods described the human impact of the errors: Washington High SPED teacher Chris Klaus said educators had to camp out and sleep at work to force attention on the problem and that some colleagues had not been paid; a UESF representative said the agreement "was the right thing to do" and asked the board to pass the measure.

Several teachers and parents urged the board to require full remediation, including reimbursement for IRS underpayment penalties. One caller asked, "Why did this happen and who will take responsibility?" (public commenter). Board members said they expect a post-implementation analysis and additional reports. Chief Melissa Dodd, assigned full time to the payroll project, outlined steps for a payroll-processing review, including expanded validation and a retrospective assessment to identify all affected employees.

Chief Financial Officer Megan Wallace said the district had modeled fiscal scenarios and estimated a high-range exposure of about $300,000 this fiscal year for interest and related costs tied to missed payments, while staff emphasized the goal of making affected employees whole.

Board members asked when a fuller public accounting would be available; Superintendent Matthews and staff said a deeper analysis is scheduled for the Budget and Business Services Committee in early April. The board also heard that the rules applied in the UESF agreement will be offered to other labor units but may require separate bargaining under the Educational Employment Relations Act.

The board took a roll call vote to approve the tentative agreement; the clerk recorded six ayes and the item was adopted.

Next steps: staff will implement agreed review procedures, complete a retrospective assessment of impacted paychecks and present further findings and timeline to the Budget and Business Services Committee.