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Rochester district reports progress but lingering payroll problems after Oracle rollout
Summary
District officials said the number of open Oracle payroll support tickets fell from ~1,797 to 897 and unpaid payroll‑related cases dropped from ~582 to 195; administration outlined added vendor support, staff hires and contingency planning including evaluating alternative payroll providers.
District finance leaders told the Rochester Board of Education on Nov. 20 that Oracle payroll remediation has made measurable progress but systemic issues remain.
CFO Michael McDowell said the district reduced overall ticket counts from about 1,797 a month earlier to 897 and that roughly 178 of the earlier 582 people who reported not getting paid have been resolved. "Today, this number is 897," McDowell said, and he described an intensive triage process, additional temporary hires and a plan to bring total payroll staffing to about 16 by year end.
McDowell detailed steps the district has taken: NovoModis will add staff beginning Dec. 1 to support payroll and time‑labor work; Oracle extended its contract support to Dec. 31 at no additional cost; the payroll team is triaging, assigning specific tasks and hiring a director of financial management and a temporary assistant payroll supervisor to handle ERS/TRS reporting and tax filings.
The administration acknowledged off‑cycle payments have been required to cover gaps: "100 off cycle payments resulting in almost $1,500,000 of payments to people that weren't part of the initial payroll," McDowell said. He warned that current remediation—a combination of vendor work and internal overtime—may not be sustainable long term and the district is actively exploring alternative providers and procurement pathways.
Board members asked for timelines and documentation. McDowell said July and August ERS files have been accepted by the state; September and October files were being corrected after state rejections and the district was working with ERS/TRS to avoid late notices or penalties. Administration expects to present an updated timeline, cost estimates and possible procurement options at the Dec. 9 workshop or board meeting.
Next steps: continue ticket triage, hire and train payroll staff (multi‑level training planned), complete files for ERS/TRS and produce a procurement timeline if a vendor change is recommended.
