SFUSD Teachers To Sleep At District Headquarters For 3rd Night Over Missing, Partial Paychecks
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A group of San Francisco Unified School District teachers announced Wednesday they would remain inside district headquarters for a third night amid an ongoing dispute over a computer glitch that has led to missing or partial paychecks for hundreds of educators.
"It's been three days since San Francisco educators first took over the third floor of District office Headquarters demanding missing paychecks. Today, they announced plans to stay for a third night after the District failed to meet their demands again," said an email from United Educators of San Francisco, which represents the teachers.
The UESF said there have been ongoing issues over pay and benefits since late last year, but a transition to a new payroll system led to hundreds of teachers not receiving their full paychecks in the January and February payroll cycles.
Leslie Hu, a community schools coordinator from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, said Wednesday that the group is "committed to staying as long as we have to."
"We should be at Home with our families in our own beds, but we will continue to stay if that is what it takes to ensure that educators can pay their rent and bills on time," Hu said. "We can't leave here until we know that when we walk out the door we won't be back here at the end of the month with hundreds more educators missing pay with no clear timeline on when they can expect payment."
On Tuesday, district Superintendent Vincent Matthews met with the teachers and apologized for the payroll errors. "There is no way that any of you should have had to come down here with sleeping bags to say 'pay us,' that just shouldn't happen," Matthews said at the time.
According to the superintendent, 15 extra district employees were now trying to get teachers paid and sort out the computer system mess. District officials have cut over 800 off-cycle checks, but there were still more waiting on payment.
Anger over the paycheck issue was being further inflamed by notices of future layoffs also being issued by the district. In the wake of anticipated financial shortfalls next school year, layoff notices went out Tuesday to 151 teachers, counselors and social workers, as well as 51 top-level managers and 62 other staffers.
