Teachers in San Francisco are still waiting to receive their salaries, thanks to a malfunctioning payment system
San Francisco Unified School District Continues to Battle Payroll Issues
The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is once again grappling with payroll problems, following the launch of a new payroll system called Frontline in July 2025. This is not the first time the district has faced such issues, as a previous system, EMPower, caused widespread paycheck errors in 2022.
Thousands of staff, including teachers, have been affected by these payroll problems, with some missing paychecks, receiving incorrect deductions, or having vacation pay, sick leave, and union dues deductions mishandled. These errors have seriously impacted the livelihoods of many educators, leaving some unable to cover rent or basic living expenses.
One such educator is Leslie Hu, a coordinator who has worked in the district for 17 years and grew up in the SFUSD. She has been waiting for her paycheck for nearly two weeks, and the ongoing issues have left her facing financial difficulties. Hu finds the district's updates and website insufficient and expressed that it's hard to keep coming back every day not knowing when she will get paid.
Frank Lara, executive vice president of the United Educators of San Francisco union (UESF), has expressed concerns about the payroll issues and the district's response. Lara stated that the district's response, such as "of sorry, that person who was responsible for transferring that data didn't do it," is not acceptable.
The UESF has filed state labor complaints and unfair labor practice charges and threatened strike action if the problems persist. The union and affected employees have highlighted inadequate training, lack of proper payroll processes (for leaves, retirements, or resignations), and poor district communication as key problems exacerbating the payroll errors.
SFUSD has created a website to update employees about the payroll issues and has stated that they are acting fast to investigate, make corrections, and issue payments as needed. However, the ongoing issues have significantly disrupted the financial stability of teachers and staff members, causing hardship and undermining trust in district management.
The payroll system failures since 2022 have had a significant impact on Hu's ability to pay her basic bills. As an educator, not being paid a living wage, a $6,000 shortfall has a significant impact on her ability to pay her basic bills. Hu, along with other union members, attended the Board of Education meeting to express their concerns about the payroll issues.
The payroll issues in SFUSD have become a bigger problem now that the school year has begun, with all staff working. The district transitioned to the new pay system, Frontline, at the beginning of July, and it remains to be seen whether the district can resolve the ongoing payroll errors and regain the trust of its employees.
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