What are the responsibilities and job description for the Payroll Specialist position at BERKELEY SCHOOLS?
Payroll Specialist
Full Time
Accounting and Finance
Under the direction of an assigned supervisor, perform a variety of specialized and complex payroll accounting duties to pay employees accurately and timely; prepare and maintain a variety of automated and manual records and reports related to the payroll function; provide consultation concerning payroll processes, policies and procedures.
REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Perform a variety of specialized and complex duties in the preparation of payroll for employees; receive and audit time reports; process and evaluate the accuracy of a variety of payroll-related forms and applications
- Process and verify input into an assigned computer system, daily, hourly, per diem, extra duty, substitute, overtime, stipends, and higher duty employee time sheet and pay information including deductions; generate computerized lists and reports accurately; process data accurately; calculate and input salary adjustments, coding, time vouchers and overtime pay as needed; verify proper authorizing signatures, coding, calculations and accuracy of payroll adjustments
- Establish and maintain detailed automated permanent records regarding personnel; process new hire, rehire, retirement and termination paperwork; input and update a variety of data including pay rates/salary schedule information, tax status, deductions, salaried FTE changes, changes in classification and other employee information
- Provide consultation concerning payroll processes, policies and procedures; respond to inquiries, resolve issues and conflicts and provide technical information concerning calculations, pay rates, taxes, wage garnishments, and leaves; provide documentation, forms or applications to employees as needed
- Receive, sort and distribute paychecks and warrants according to established procedures and guidelines; process special payroll transactions such as corrections, awards, professional growth, longevity, shift differentials, bonuses, replacements, final checks and retro-pay as appropriate
- Compile information and prepare and maintain a variety of records and reports related to employee information, time sheets, pay rates, salary adjustments, voluntary pay deductions/changes, disability, workers compensation, payroll data, and submit payroll reports to appropriate personnel for processing
- Process and apply payroll changes relative to bargaining unit contracts, PERS, STRS, County, State, IRS, and Social Security rules and regulations
- Prepare and process a variety of required tax forms accurately and as assigned; perform periodic tax procedures and related payroll reconciliation functions; prepare and distribute mandated tax reports; compile and verify related employee information
- Research and provide current and past payroll information in response to employee inquiries, subpoenas, workers compensation claims, and inquiries from State and County agencies according to established guidelines; provide employment and wage verification for court orders from County and State agencies
- Operate a variety of office equipment including a calculator, copier, fax machine, printer, sealing machine, computer and assigned software
OTHER DUTIES:
Perform related duties as assigned
KNOWLEDGE OF:
Advanced principles and techniques involved in payroll preparation and processing
Tax withholding, voluntary deductions, garnishments and supplemental insurance
Preparation, maintenance, verification and processing of payroll records and reports
Generally accepted accounting principles, practices and procedures
Preparation, review and control of assigned accounts
Organizational payroll policies and objectives
Financial and statistical record-keeping techniques
Preparation of financial statements and comprehensive payroll accounting reports
Applicable laws, codes, regulations, policies and procedures
Principles and practices of data processing
Modern office practices, procedures and equipment
Technical aspects of field of specialty
Operation of a computer and assigned software
Oral and written communication skills
Interpersonal skills including tact, patience and courtesy
Arithmetic computations
ABILITY TO:
Perform a variety of specialized and complex payroll and accounting duties in the preparation of payroll for certificated, classified and/or hourly personnel
Pay employees accurately and timely according to established processes and timelines
Prepare and maintain a variety of automated and manual records and reports
Interpret, apply and explain laws, rules and regulations related to payroll activities
Provide consultation concerning payroll processes, policies and procedures
Process payroll and related records for payrolls
Monitor, audit, adjust and reconcile payroll data
Identify, investigate and resolve financial errors and discrepancies
Reconcile and balance assigned payroll accounts
Operate a variety of office equipment including a computer and assigned software
Compare numbers and detect errors efficiently
Operate standard office equipment including a computer and assigned software
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
Assemble, organize and prepare data for records and reports
Work confidentially with discretion
Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others
Meet schedules and time lines
Make arithmetic computations with speed and accuracy
Any combination equivalent to: graduation from high school supplemented by college-level course in accounting or related field and three years clerical accounting experience including two years involving payroll processing
WORKING CONDITIONS:
ENVIRONMENT:
Office environment
Constant interruptions
Contact with dissatisfied or abusive individuals
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard
Seeing to read a variety of materials
Hearing and speaking to exchange information
Sitting for extended periods of time
EXAMINATION WEIGHT:
Assessments may consist of a written, oral and/or performance examinations.
FIRST EXAMINATION: 50%
SECOND EXAMINATION: 50%
Qualified candidates will be notified of the minimum passing points for each examination part. Qualified Applicants will be notified of the date, time, and place of the Examinations.
OTHER: Proof of identification for completion of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, must be submitted at the time of processing for employment.
SALARIES: All salaries as stated are based on present information and are subject to change. Appointments are made at the minimum salary shown in the posting and increases are granted at intervals based on anniversary date.
NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with the provisions of Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, Education Code Section 220, and Berkeley Unified School District Policy, no qualified person shall, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, national origin, religion, actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, handicap, age or sexual orientation, or on the basis of a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in the Berkeley Unified School District. The Board prohibits unlawful discrimination against and/or harassment of district employees and job applicants on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, at any district site and/or activity. The Board also prohibits retaliation against any district employee or job applicant who complains, testifies or in any way participates in the district's complaint procedures instituted pursuant to this policy."
If there are questions concerning Section 504 or disability accommodations for job applicants/employees under the ADA, please contact the Office of Human Resources, Berkeley Unified School District. If there are questions concerning discrimination on the basis of sex or any of the other classifications noted above, please contact the Title IX Coordinator at (510) 486-9338.
Closing Date/Time: Wed, 09 Apr 2025
Berkeley Unified School District
About the District
Since the founding of the University of California, Berkeley in 1868 and the establishment of Berkeley’s first high school in 1879, Berkeley’s community has been proud to be a leader in public education. In 1968, the Berkeley Unified School District was the nation’s first school district to desegregate without a court order. What you should know about our District:
- Students are our priority.
- We take pride in our diversity.
- We hold high expectations for ourselves and our students.
- We treat each other with respect and act with integrity.
Berkeley Unified is responsible for educating more than 9,400 individual students in 11 public elementary schools, 3 middle schools, one comprehensive high school, and an alternative high school. In addition, the district has 3 preschool facilities and an Adult School serving several thousand students each year. With a tradition of excellence rooted in a vibrant community, Berkeley Unified alumni have become national and international leaders in business, civic society, politics, academia, sports and the arts. Students and staff in Berkeley Unified come from a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, surrounded by one of the most intellectually and culturally rich regions in the United States.
The Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals of Berkeley Unified are encapsulated in the four E’s:
- Excellence
- Equity
- Engagement
- Enrichment
Excellence in Learning, in Teaching, and in Service to our Students and Families
Equity in Access, in Resource Allocation, and Educational Outcomes
Engagement with Parents, Guardians, Families, and Community
Enrichment in Curriculum with Music & the Arts, Libraries, Gardens & Nutrition, Science & Health, Physical Education & Sports
Parent and Community Involvement
The Vision for BUSD is one in which parents, family, and community are an integral part of each school. When parents and families get personally involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life. This is why Berkeley has dedicated resources and specialized staff to support the home-school partnership and to give all parents/guardians access to understanding opportunities and services available for their children.
Public Support
Over the past 25 years, the Berkeley Unified School District’s ability to provide well-rounded educational resources and opportunities to all students has been significantly boosted by the generous financial support of local taxes that augment the General Fund for specific purposes.
Berkeley voters have overwhelmingly supported the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP), a special local tax first adopted in 1986 and renewed consistently since then, most recently as Measure A in 2006. (1986 to present)
Berkeley voters are as committed to the safety and modernization of school and district facilities as to the students and educational programs they house, most recently evidenced in the renewal of a maintenance special tax and a new facilities bond in 2010.
- Facilities Bonds (1992, Measure BB of 2002, Measure I of 2010)
- Maintenance Parcel Tax (Measure H of 2010)
Very Low Class Size
Berkeley Public schools have among the lowest class sizes in the state. While many school districts have exceeded 20 students in kindergarten through third grade, thanks to the BSEP tax measure Berkeley has maintained 20:1 since 1984. Grades 4 and 5 classrooms have average student-teacher ratios of 26-1, again much lower than the state average.
- All Berkeley elementary schools have fewer students than the state average of 525 students — in fact, the Berkeley average is 375.
- The average student-teacher ratio in academic classrooms in middle school is less than 28:1, and many math classes are 20:1.
- The average student-teacher ratio in academic classrooms in high schools is 28:1.
Because the Berkeley community recognizes that public education is the cornerstone of a productive, creative, and healthy society, all of our schools benefit from the generosity of monetary and in-kind donations. Visit our “Public Support” page to find out more about the generosity and commitment of our supporters and how the many different funding and volunteer organizations enhance each child’s education in the Berkeley Public Schools.
