Boulder Valley School District’s transition to new business software, including new payroll and hiring systems, is challenging.
The new enterprise resource planning system that the district began using in late March is expected to modernize processes in business services, human resources and information technology services by moving data to the cloud.
But the new payroll system hasn’t worked as well as specifically intended, with “hundreds” of employees being paid less than they should have been because the district’s team is working extra hours to fix problems.
Superintendent Rob Anderson sent a letter to staff this week, apologizing for the problems and promising the district will continue to address them.
“While every ERP startup is difficult, BVSD’s startup was especially difficult,” he wrote. “We know this has been a tougher lift than expected and we understand the significant impact this has had on some of our employees. Although we have processed thousands of tickets, we recognize that some employees are still struggling today.
The district created a help desk ticket system to address concerns. In July, Anderson instructed staff members to immediately pay anyone they thought was underpaid, rather than waiting until an investigation was completed.
Lisa Larsen, president of the Intensive Special Education Para and Boulder Valley Paraeducators Association, said hourly workers have to use the system to log in and out every day — and the system doesn’t always work, especially for those who work more than one job. Inaccurate wages can also be more challenging for hourly workers, she said.
Just this week, she helped Parra, who didn’t get as many jobs as expected for a summer school program and didn’t make enough to pay rent.
“We are the lowest paid people in the district,” she said. “Not getting our full check brings a lot of problems in our daily life. It was very scary for people when they were living to check.
She said that when she called to share the problems of the union members, the district managers were helpful and provided quick solutions. But she said the experience for help desk staff after submitting tickets has led to frustration.
“I know from the district, I know this is not a sick cause,” she said. “The issue is the system itself and how big it is. It is a complex system and change is difficult.
She said additional training sessions could help solve some of the problems associated with using the new system. Employees previously saw longevity and education bonuses distributed on their payroll, but now have to access them through an online system. The same was true for accrued vacation time.
“This is a big change,” she said.
Boulder Valley bus driver Sam Trueblood, secretary of the Boulder Valley Division of Distributed Workers Association, shared problems with the system at a recent school board meeting. The association expressed its concern that the system could not accommodate all job assignments and requested that it be properly inspected and staff trained before it is put into operation.
“It looks like some of these requests have been made,” he said. “When the system went live … the district was not prepared.”
Hundreds of hourly workers said they had problems.
“In many cases, it was taking months to make corrections,” he said, adding that some workers had to tap into savings or ask friends and family for loans while the errors were investigated. “BVSD care is a message the district often says, but from where we stand, we don’t feel that way.”
Maria Wilson, project manager for the enterprise resource planning software, said the district spent several years developing the new system, then piloted it in three rounds, spending six to eight weeks each time, involving more than 100 people.
“After going live, we learned a lot and realized that some things didn’t work as well as we expected,” she said. “The tickets are going down every month as people learn the system and we make adjustments. Our small team really cares.”
Chief Information Officer Frank Elmore added that the district’s payroll system is “incredibly complex.” Some employees work more than one job for the district. Additionally, there are many ways employees can earn extra pay, including mandatory bonus pay and longevity and education pay.
In total, the district has about 6,000 employees and about 200 different job classifications.
District officials said it’s been “all hands on deck” as they work to fix problems and help employees navigate the new systems.
“We are committed to fixing this,” Elmore said.
