Dear Colleague,

The new school year is upon us! Whether you are putting up the finishing touches in your classrooms or running through your task list to ready our schoolyards for the first day of school, I am certain that you are thoughtfully preparing so that we are able to welcome our students back to safe, welcoming, and nurturing environments where they can learn and thrive.

As I begin my second year as your superintendent, I am writing to share an update about our payroll system, EMPowerSF. 

Since November 2022, we have made significant strides to stabilize the system. While challenges persist, we are in a very different position than we were before. We have set up an infrastructure to ensure our employees are paid on time and correctly, partnered with the city to address and prevent lapses in health benefits coverage, and filled staffing vacancies that are critical to operating the system effectively. 

We have taken meaningful action to improve your experience, such as implementing exception-based pay for certificated employees. However, we know that for employees who are still impacted that progress is not happening fast enough. As we learn about new trends or challenges, we are committed to a swift and timely response so that we are addressing issues as they arise to minimize the disruption to our employees. 

We will continue to harness our momentum. Notably, the ticket backlog of self-reported issues dipped under 3,000 last week. This was sharply contrasted against the peak of over 11,200 self-reported tickets in November 2022 and is an important indicator of how things are getting better. We are getting fewer tickets from fewer employees every pay cycle, and are resolving tickets more quickly (see the latest update).

If you are experiencing an issue with EMPowerSF, please submit a ticket to get help.

Thank you for your continued commitment and dedication in service to SFUSD students and families. I am committed to continued transparency and accountability as we navigate our path forward together. Our charge is to do right by our employees so that we can focus on our classrooms and students in this new year.

In community,

Dr. Matt Wayne
SFUSD Superintendent