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State education consultants said the Berkeley Unified School District’s transition to a new data processing system has been “very smooth,” despite a pair of high-profile payroll problems in late July. Errors are unavoidable in a transition, they said. 

“I can’t think of a single conversion that ever went flawlessly,” said Andrew Prestage, management analyst for the Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team, at a Board of Education meeting earlier this week. FCMA has been advising the district on budget and technical matters since last fall. 

Prestage said the system’s failure to pay 122 employees and withhold the proper taxes on July 31 – when the district ran its first payroll through Quintessential School Systems (QSS) – were “wrinkles” that have been worked out. 

“You never like to see problems with the payroll system, but it was a problem that was immediately addressed,” he said. “They’re the kind of wrinkles that, once solved, are gone forever.” 

QSS failed to pay employees with direct deposit because the system dropped the “0” at the start of 122 employees’ bank account numbers. 

FCMAT consultant Jim Hickenbottom said paycheck problems have been resolved for all but eight of the employees, and added that the system should be running smoothly by the end of September. 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence was quick to add that, while the computer system may be functioning properly by then, the district still has to do significant staff training to ensure the system is handled properly.