A local nonprofit rented an SFUSD high school for an ethnic studies conference for educators, featuring a workshop about “adultism” and power dynamics in the classroom, which has drawn predictable criticism, largely due to the mistaken belief that city funds paid for it.

For anyone who was once a child, it may seem obvious that adults hold far more power than children over their daily lives. Still, many adults find this concept to be too outlandish, and they’re up-in-arms over a recent workshop on the topic, which took place at SF’s John McConnell High School, as the Chronicle reports.

Teachers 4 Social Justice, the nonprofit that sponsored the workshop, titled “Youth as Knowledge Producers: Challenging Adults Supremacy Through Ethnic Studies,” said it was part of a larger conference called “Ethnic Studies Everywhere,” designed to help educators incorporate ethnic studies concepts across subject areas amid ongoing pushback locally and nationally.

The adult supremacy workshop focused on “adultism,” a framework that examines how authority and decision-making are concentrated among adults and how those dynamics shape classroom relationships and broader social systems.

The Chronicle reports that the workshop drew immediate criticism online, amplified by confusion over who organized and funded it. SFUSD officials confirmed the district did not pay for the conference and had no role in its content or promotion, noting that outside organizations are allowed to rent district facilities and host independent events. The San Francisco teachers' union promoted the training in a newsletter, though it remains unclear how many district or outside educators participated.

Ethnic studies continues to be a contentious issue in San Francisco and statewide. The SFUSD recently replaced its earlier homegrown curriculum with a new standardized version and now requires a yearlong ethnic studies course for graduation starting with the class of 2028. Per the Chronicle, the shift has intensified debate over what the subject should prioritize, with some advocating for a focus on culture and historical understanding, while others support a framework centered on social justice and activism.

Friends of Lowell Foundation, which sent slides of the adultism presentation to the salacious California Post, is legally challenging the district’s ethnic studies curriculum, calling it “illegal and unvetted.”

Similar disputes have occurred across California, per the Post, including Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, and Santa Clara County Office of Education programs, where educators have also received training on adultism.

Additionally, Superintendent Maria Su is scheduled to travel to Washington next week, where she's been summoned by a congressional committee to testify on district policies tied to ongoing “culture war” debates playing out nationally, according to the Chronicle.

She is expected to face questions on transgender policies, LGBTQ instruction, sexual health education, and ethnic studies, areas that have increasingly become focal points in broader Republican-led challenges to race-based curriculum and diversity programming.

Previously: SFUSD Opts For Less Controversial Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Image: Google Maps

Educators at San Francisco Unified School District will each be receiving a $250 gift card from an anonymous local benefactor who wanted to convey how much they’re appreciated.

The anonymous donor, who lives in San Francisco and works in the tech industry, donated a total of $1.6 million to the almost 6,000 teachers, teachers’ aides, and other educators employed by the district, totaling about $250 each after administrative fees, as the Chronicle reports.

“My salary is more than the budget of many schools,” the donor said. “I think that says a lot about our society that we compensate (a tech worker) in orders of magnitude higher than the highest paid teacher.      

The donor first contacted the school district’s nonprofit foundation, Spark SF Public Schools, about the gift in November.

Educators reportedly received an email about the donations Thursday informing them to expect a message in the near future with a link to redeem their electronic gift cards with no strings attached.

The donor told the Chronicle the aim for the donation was to help counteract some of the negativity surrounding the education system in recent years.  

“Hopefully they will feel seen and appreciated,” they said. “That’s my goal here.”

Spark disperses around $16 million annually from a range of donors and helps pair philanthropic funding with the district’s various programs and wish lists addressing issues like absenteeism, literacy, and mental health. The donor told the Chronicle they appreciated how Spark gave them the ability to give directly to educators.

Spark President Ginny Fang said she hoped the donation will inspire other wealthy residents to donate.

“This is about inspiring and letting other people we believe are out there the ability to give,” she said. “There’s so much wealth in our city.”

Some specific needs that Fang listed, per the Chronicle, include marketing campaign help and assistance with AI regulation and policy. Funding for enrichment programs and other extracurricular activities is also needed on an ongoing basis.

Image: Spark SF Public Schools/Facebook

• A 33-year-old woman was fatally shot and four others wounded early Saturday morning, including one critically, inside EZ’s Lounge in Oakland near City Hall. The shooting occurred during an argument at the bar, which had dozens of patrons at the time, and police don’t believe the victims were intended targets. [Bay Area News Group]
• The weather will be warm and sunny for SF’s Chinese New Year parade Saturday, which includes a 289-foot dragon performance, over a dozen floats, a drone show, and some surprises. Olympic skier and gold medalist Eileen Gu, who was born and raised in SF and received death threats for representing China at the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, is grand marshal. [NBC Bay Area]

• A bicyclist was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after she was struck by a driver in SF’s Inner Sunset Friday afternoon on Irving Street between 7th and 8th avenues. [KRON4]
• The current academic year for SF schools will likely be extended by five days due to the four-day teachers’ strike in February, which will be discussed at the March 24 school board meeting. [Mission Local]
• Teachers in the East Bay city of Dublin are set to go on strike Monday if their demands for a 3.5% pay increase and smaller class sizes aren’t met, and the district says it plans to stay open during the potential strike. [KGO]
• Only one in 10 US residents are in favor of daylight saving time, which begins at 2 am Sunday, and half oppose it altogether. [Associated Press]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A math teacher who’s been at SF’s top public high school for 20 years went on leave after giving students quizzes that demeaned girls and “fat kids.” Some parents are also unhappy that he posted "Grades vs. Dignity" videos on YouTube of students dancing in exchange for extra credit.

As the Chronicle reports, Tom Chan, a math teacher at San Francisco’s top-rated Lowell High School, went on indefinite leave Monday after it was discovered he was giving students quizzes with questions about “dating girls” based on their “sexy points” as well as their weight and punting a “fat kid” into the air.

According to some former students on Reddit and a parent who spoke to the Chronicle, Chan’s been assigning these types of quizzes to students since he first started teaching at Lowell more than 20 years ago.

Lowell Principal Jan Bautista sent out a message to families Monday evening announcing Chan “needed to go on leave,” and his return date was uncertain. The Chronicle reports that district officials wouldn’t confirm whether Chan went on leave of his own accord or by force.

Parents spoke to the Chronicle anonymously due to fear of retaliation from the school. One parent, who said the quizzes promoted fat-shaming and perpetuated stereotypes that girls aren’t good at math, expressed shock that they weren't brought to Lowell administrators' attention sooner.

“It’s pretty shocking,” they said. “The fact that nobody has brought this up to the school and he’s been there a really long time.”

The parent also conveyed discomfort over YouTube videos Chan posted, titled,  “Grades vs. Dignity,” in which students earned extra credit by performing a dance routine in front of other students, which came across as a bit exploitative in such a high-pressure environment as Lowell.

“They’re buying grades from him by humiliating themselves,” the parent told the Chronicle. “The kids look like they’re laughing and stuff, but I’m not sure all of them are into it.”

The parent said their kid liked Chan well enough and the students brushed his humor off as being “bad dad jokes,” which the students interpreted as Chan’s way of making math more fun (to everyone but girls and “fat kids,” apparently).

“We take these concerns seriously and are actively investigating,” said district spokesperson Laura Dudnick, per the Chronicle. “While we cannot share details because this is a personnel matter, we can share that once an issue is brought to our attention, we investigate every report and take appropriate corrective action if required.”

Dudnick said students and families can report any issues or concerns through the school district’s anonymous reporting system, but the parent who spoke to the Chronicle was skeptical their voices will be heard by administrators, and said that the kids in Chan's classes are owed an apology.

Image: Blackjack48/Wikimedia

• Trump is demanding that Netflix eliminate Democratic foreign policy expert Susan Rice from its board or “face the consequences” after he previously promised not to get involved in Netflix and Paramount’s attempted takeover of Warner Bros Discovery. [Guardian]
• The Oakland Zoo is celebrating the arrival of its first baby red-tailed monkey after two of its red-tailed guenons Nonami and Marley delivered a baby boy Friday. [NBC Bay Area]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

• MC Hammer made an impromptu appearance aboard an honorary Black History Month cable car Thursday. SFMTA posted a reel featuring the Oakland-born Hammer, who now lives in the Central Valley, posing for photos and breaking out into robotic dance moves. [Chronicle]

• San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stepped in to help with negotiations during the teachers’ strike a mere week and a half ago, even though educators officially began negotiating a new contract almost a year ago, and an impasse was declared in October, leading to a practice strike in November. [Mission Local]
• The preservationists who want to save the Vallaincourt Fountain at SF’s Justin Herman Plaza have filed a lawsuit demanding that the demolition be paused until the environmental impact report is released, accusing the city of fabricating an emergency in order to bypass the report. [Chronicle]

National:

• The Free Press is compiling 14 hours worth of video footage from the January 30 batch of Epstein files to make it more accessible to the public, and they’ve released part one out of two, although much of the screen is blacked out in many of the clips. [The Free Press]
• Amazon has ended its deal with Ring following backlash over its “lost dog” Super Bowl commercial, which revealed that all the Ring devices in the neighborhood can potentially be used to spy on residents. [CBS News]
• Health officials are raising awareness about the increase of colorectal cancer among people under 40 following the death of Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek, who died at 48 this week, and Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died at age 43 in 2020. [Associated Press]

Video of the Day:

Cory Barnette, the new “Bay Area Bush Man,” was in his element at Fisherman’s Wharf during Super Bowl weekend, scaring the daylights out of locals and tourists alike.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The San Francisco teachers' union and the SF Unified School District reached a tentative deal that was announced at 6 am Friday, after four days on strike, with the union getting a key benefit they had been seeking.

The historic teachers' strike is over after a bargaining session that went through the night Thursday into Friday. As Mission Local reports, the union succeeded in getting fully funded healthcare for teachers with families, at the expense of their demand for salary raises.

Instead of the 8% pay hike they were seeking over two years, teachers will get a 5% raise over two years — though the Chronicle clarifies that it works out to 6% because of two extra training days being added to teachers' calendars.

SF teachers are uniquely, among local districts, able to take yearlong sabbaticals that are fully paid after working for seven years, and while these will continue, the district won a concession that these will be paused for one year.

Additionally, paraeducators, or teachers' aides, will be getting an 8.5% raise over two years, and special educators will get a slight reduction in their caseloads.

The healthcare coverage will begin at 50% on July 1, and go to 100% on January 1, 2027.

The overall deal is priced at $183 million, per the Chronicle.

"This historic strike built an unbreakable solidarity across our city, among families, students, educators and community," the union said in an email to members Friday morning. "This strike has made it clear what is possible when we join together and fight for the stability in our schools that many have said was out of our reach."

And in a statement to the Chronicle, Superintendant Maria Su said, "This is a monumental tentative agreement with the United Educators of San Francisco. This agreement enhances our efforts to recruit and attract talented educators to work in San Francisco public schools and reflects our commitment to invest in educators."

Schools were already closed for Friday, and will remain closed for President's Day and Lunar New Year on Monday and Tuesday, as was previously scheduled, so SF's schoolkids will not return to the classroom until Wednesday, February 18.

Previously: Still No Deal as SF Teachers' Strike Enters Fourth Day

Top image: Teachers with the San Francisco Unified School District hold signs during a rally outside of San Francisco City Hall on the first day of a citywide teachers' strike on February 09, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Nearly 6,000 educators in the San Francisco Unified School District walked off the job Monday, the city’s first teachers’ strike in almost 50 years, after contract talks collapsed over wages, health benefits and staffing, leaving all 120 district schools closed as negotiations continue. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Negotiations went later than they have typically been going on Wednesday night as a deal between the SF Unified School District and the teachers' union remains elusive. And now kids may not be returning to the classroom until next Wednesday, with a long weekend ahead.

Around 50,000 schoolkids remain at home or in daycare Thursday for the fourth day in a row, as this historic San Francisco teachers' strike drags on. And with classes unlikely to resume Friday, it's looking likely that kids will be out of school until next Wednesday at the earliest, with President's Day on Monday, and Lunar New Year on Tuesday.

SF Mayor Daniel Lurie joined the negotiators for the first time Tuesday evening, as Mission Local reports, and left after two hours — posting this update to Instagram.

Also in attendance at the talks on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday as well was State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond, who is currently running for governor. Thurmond had offered his support to the negotiators earlier in the week — and the state still has the power to veto any potential deal that is reached, if it is fiscally untenable.

Unlike on Tuesday night, when union negotiators reportedly went home at 10 pm  just as the district said it was preparing its latest offer, the negotiations went later Wednesday night. NBC Bay Area reports that the bargaining lasted into the wee hours of Thursday, but still no deal has been reached.

As the Chronicle notes, both sides were offering conflicting versions of what happened, with the union apparently leaving the bargaining table at 1 am, and the district offering their latest proposal at 1:33 am. A district spokesperson issued a statement Thursday morning saying, "As of 8:00 am today, we are awaiting [the union’s] counter offer. The SFUSD bargaining team, comprised of veteran and expert professionals, are ready to meet with the union’s bargaining team to continue negotiations."

We do not know what the latest offer entails. Last we heard on Tuesday, the two sides remained two percentage points apart on a raise for full-time teachers — 6% over two years versus 8% over two years. Another stick point had to do with family healthcare, which the union wants to see fully funded.

The union, the United Educators of San Francisco, posted an update to Instagram Wednesday night saying, "We need to keep [up] our struggle; we need to go one day, one day longer, until we have the agreement for schools that our students deserve and that we know is possible. And that right now, the only things standing in the way are the district management and board of education that will not step up right and do what's right by our families."

Teachers were back on picket lines outside of schools at 8 am on Thursday, and also rallying outside Mission High School, and a rally is happening at Embarcadero Plaza at noon.

NBC Bay Area notes that the SFUSD is losing around $10 million per day in state funding for each day that schools are not operating.

Previously: District Blames SF Teachers' Union For Leaving the Bargaining Table Early Tuesday Night

Top image via UESF/Instagram

Concerned families, teachers, and community members packed the house at the San Jose Unified School District’s community meeting Tuesday evening after receiving news last week that up to a third of its elementary schools may be shuttered due to a 20 percent drop in enrollment.

As Bay Area News Group reports, the San Jose Unified School District created a “Schools of Tomorrow” committee last fall consisting of parents, district staff, school employees, and educators to come up with a plan to address the loss of almost 6,000 enrolled elementary school students since 2017. As KTVU reports, the committee will be considering school sizes, programming, and staffing when weighing its decision, which could include the closure of up to nine schools, consolidations, or boundary changes.

Per Bay Area News Group, more than 250 attendees showed up in person at the San Jose Unified School District office Tuesday evening, filling the meeting and overflow rooms to capacity with some gathering outside the building, along with 1,000 additional people attending the virtual livestream. Parents were reportedly given three options to consider Tuesday, which consisted of differing choices regarding which schools would be closed or consolidated.

Parents said they were reeling at the news of the potential closures, which they just received last week. “Our parents are shocked,” Williams Elementary parent Heather Kangarloo said, speaking to NBC Bay Area. “We found out about this almost one week ago.”

Teachers were reportedly notified at the same time as parents. “We only heard of it just a week ago, even the teachers,” said parent and teacher Sharilyn Smyth, per KTVU. “We heard at the same time as the parents did.”

Bay Area News Group reports that many of the attendees at Tuesday’s meeting were parents and teachers from Simonds Elementary School, Williams Elementary School, and Los Alamitos Elementary School, which are the three locations most affected by the new plan. Parents expressed concern over longer school commutes, poorer academic performance, and childcare challenges.

"We don’t want to have more displacement in our neighborhoods," one parent told the committee, per KTVU. "We are already facing a very difficult time. We’re struggling with different things, fear, and it’s something that our kids don’t need anymore."

Per Bay Area News Group, another parent from Williams Elementary School said that about 200 families from Williams have said they’ll likely transfer to another district if the school is closed.

“Our analysis shows that options two and three would displace more than 1,000 students … and move more students into lower performing schools than into higher performing schools,” Ghandikota said, per Bay Area News Group. “That’s not just disruptive. It’s directionally wrong.”

Another parent said the district is likely planning to rent out empty school sites to charter schools. "Closing schools should not be our first priority," said Reed Elementary School parent Angel Zimmer, speaking to NBC Bay Area. "We need to improve them. Once they combine schools, they're saying they’ll likely rent out those empty buildings to charter programs, which are then going to have new enrollment issues."

The committee ultimately voted Tuesday to consider a combination of two options while eliminating the third in order to prioritize special education programs and student transportation. The committee also voted to create a new option that would establish a single new school for students from all the closing schools instead of distributing them across the district.

The school district said in a statement that the committee will hold several public meetings over the next few weeks and “may discard options, modify options, and/or consider new options before developing its recommendation to the Board of Education.”

The next committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, and the board of education is expected to vote no later than March 12.

“I recognize that seeing a school’s name included in discussion about consolidation, attendance boundary changes, or relocation is deeply emotional,” said San Jose Unified Superintendent Nancy Albarrán, per KTVU. “We know families love their current schools. At the same time, we know that thoughtful school portfolio changes can help ensure strong, sustainable programs for both current and future students throughout the district, continuing our long-standing legacy of tackling challenges with a focus on what is best for our students.”

Image: Williams Elementary School/Facebook

There is plenty of finger-pointing going on with the SF teachers' strike, but what seems clear is that the union may be sensing their upper hand at this point, and a resolution before Thursday seems unlikely.

San Francisco teachers are on strike for a third day today, and the union was organizing a big photo op with a human banner at Ocean Beach saying "STRIKE FOR OUR STUDENTS" — which apparently happened despite the rain. A 5 pm rally  is also planned outside the War Memorial Building on Van Ness, where negotiations have been ongoing.

But negotiations were stopped short Tuesday night, representatives for the SF Unified School District say, because union negotiators abruptly left the bargaining table before the district could present its latest offer. The Chronicle reports that the district says it was giving updates every 30 minutes to the union reps, but when they returned to the table late Tuesday night, they were told the union negotiators had all gone home.

Union leaders reportedly dismissed the negotiators at 10 pm, telling the district they would return at 11 am.

SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su was pointing the finger at the union for not waiting longer Tuesday night to receive what she says is a "strong" offer.

"We have been ready to negotiate this entire time," Su said in a statement to the Chronicle. "We are prepared and committed to getting this agreement done today. We all must act with urgency to get this done. We have a strong offer. Our proposal is more than about making SFUSD an attractive place to work. It’s about ensuring educators can afford to live and raise their families in this city."

The union did not comment on Tuesday's negotiations.

The district maintains that they have remain fiscally responsible in whatever offer they put on the table — and the threat of state intervention looms, including a state veto of any tentative agreement, if it seems financially untenable.

Parents of SF schoolkids are staring down a possible fourth day of childcare arrangements on Thursday if no agreement is reached Wednesday.

One parent, Meredith Osborn, expressed frustration to the Chronicle saying she supports the teachers but, "I really wish there was more focus on getting movement in the negotiations than crafting the perfect photo op for the press."

The union issued an update Tuesday saying, "Our city and members are united, and we know SFUSD has the money to prioritize a fair contract. The district continues to show a lack of urgency to reach an agreement that centers on our students and their needs."

The mayor, meanwhile, says he just wants this thing to end. In a statement to the Chronicle, Mayor Daniel Lurie says, "We’ve been supporting both parties over the last few days. I don’t want to get into the blame game. That’s not my role."

We'll update you if it is confirmed that the strike will go on into a fourth day.

Previously: SF Teachers’ Strike to Bring Human Banner to Ocean Beach Wednesday

Photo via UESF/Facebook

San Francisco public school educators made national headlines Tuesday as they announced plans to bring a human banner to Ocean Beach the following day, with talks between union and district representatives slowly progressing and other unions across the state considering similar action.

As SFist noted earlier, classes in the San Francisco Unified School District were cancelled for Wednesday as contract negotiations continued into Tuesday evening. SFist took part in Tuesday’s march, which began at Dolores Park and ended at City Hall by way of SFUSD’s headquarters on Franklin Street. Organizers estimated that 20,000 people were in attendance.

The United Educators of San Francisco announced on social media Tuesday that part of Wednesday’s strike would include a human banner facilitated by artists David Solnit and Andres Amador at Ocean Beach (1070 Great Highway), spelling out “Strike For Our Students.” Participants are asked to wear red and white.

Per UESF’s social media, union members were told to first picket in the morning at individual school sites. The latest info on the strike, including Wednesday’s banner, can be found on the union’s website.

Meanwhile, national outlets are covering the historic strike, including Politico, the New York Times, and the Associated Press. Both the New York Times and Politico have noted that numerous teachers' unions throughout the state are potentially moving toward strikes.

As EdSource reported last year, the California Teachers Association launched a platform supporting 32 California districts through its “We Can’t Wait” campaign to help local teachers’ unions negotiate their contracts and build momentum statewide with mass strikes. Per EdSource, Ken Jacobs, a senior policy adviser at the UC Berkeley Labor Center, likened the campaign to the “Unite Here” labor union, which successfully negotiated new contracts for SF hotel workers at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott after 93 days of striking in 2024.

As Politico reports, San Diego has a one-day strike on the books for February 26, and Los Angeles teachers may strike after a recent walkout in January.

As SFGate reports, 95% of teachers at Dublin Unified School District, which reached an impasse in November, voted to authorize a strike last week if an agreement isn’t reached on a final contract. As the blog Abridged reports, teachers in Sacramento said they were prepared to strike last month, with the Twin Rivers Unified School District voting for a strike by 98% on February 2, per the Sacramento Bee.

As EdSource reported in January, many more school districts in the state have stalled negotiations, including Berkeley and Oakland.

“It’s unacceptable that in the ‘Golden State,’ with its vast wealth and resources, our communities struggle with fully staffing our neighborhood schools,” said David Goldberg, President of the California Teachers Association. “This is why educators are coordinating to take a stand statewide. Together with parents, students and our communities, we demand that districts prioritize resources for our students and ensure California leads the country in providing a quality public education for every student.”

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Previously: Striking SF Teachers Rally In Dolores Park as Tensions Mount Over Deal

After a rally in Civic Center, and as negotiations continued between reps for the SF Unified School District and the United Educators of San Francisco, the district announced that schools would remain closed a second day on Tuesday.

It appears to be a precaution, and perhaps a bargaining tactic, as pressure mounts from parents and the city for schools to reopen amid this, the first SF teachers' strike in nearly 50 years. But the district made the announcement Monday just after 2:30 pm that, regardless of whether the impasse is resolved today, classes will still be canceled Tuesday, February 10.

As the Chronicle reports, the cancellation announcement came just as there was some kind of misunderstanding at both ends of the negotiations Monday.

The bargaining process has been ongoing inside the War Memorial Building, and just before 2:30 pm, SFUSD officials told the Chronicle that they were at that time waiting for union reps to respond to their latest proposal, which has been on the table since Saturday.

But, awkwardly, as they said this, a union representative, Nathalie Hrizi, who serves as vice president for substitute teachers, was speaking at a rally in front of City Hall, claiming that the union reps were still waiting for district reps to show up at the War Memorial building this afternoon.

Reportedly, union negotiators called off talks Saturday night, two hours after the district had submitted their latest proposal, and they refused to return to the bargaining table on Sunday, per the Chronicle.

The latest proposal submitted by the district offers a 6% raise over two years, as well as a $24,000 annual health benefit allowance for each teacher and one dependent.

The union has been seeking a 9% wage hike over two years.

At a news conference Monday, Superintendant Maria Su said, "Our students, our families, our teachers cannot afford for this to continue. Every minute counts."

It remains possible that the two sides can come to an agreement Monday night, but this will be at least a two-day strike, with parents having to rearrange schedules and keep kids home at least one more day this week, if not longer.

San Francisco Unified School District officials announced Sunday evening that teachers will go on strike Monday after their demands weren't met and city leaders unsuccessfully pleaded for a 72-hour pause, with negotiations starting back up at noon on Monday.

As the Chronicle reports, no agreement was made between the United Educators of San Francisco and the San Francisco Unified School District over the weekend, aside from a tentative concession protecting undocumented students. As Mission Local reports, the agreement wasn’t enough to call off the strike for Monday, as the union’s demands for pay increases, full health care, and improved special education services still weren't met.

“We have made it very clear that our demands are for fully-funded family healthcare, for educators improvements to special education, and salary increases that do not come at the cost of concessions or takeaways,” said Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, per Mission Local.

As 48 Hills reports, the union’s demands amount to a budget of around $35 million — about half of what the city budgeted for the San Francisco Police Department this year, in spite of the city’s plummeting crime rate. Additionally, teachers earn an average starting salary of $79,000 per year, compared to $119,000 a year for a beginning SFPD officer. Police officers also get full health-care coverage while teachers pay about five percent of their income for health insurance.

Per Mission Local, negotiations between the two parties went on for nearly 12 hours Saturday, with the union making an offer at 2 pm, then receiving a counter-offer around 8 pm. Per Mission Local, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released a statement at 1 pm Sunday requesting that the teachers' union postpone the strike during negotiations so school could remain in session. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi reinforced Lurie’s statement.

As Mission Local reported Friday, the principals' and administrators' unions, as well as custodians and other school employees, will also be taking part in the strike Monday, keeping schools entirely closed.

“A single administrator alone in a school building does not constitute a functioning or safe school environment. Under these conditions, keeping schools open puts students at risk,” wrote United Administrators of San Francisco president Anna Klafter.

Per Mission Local, teachers and principals received a confusing email from the district over the weekend, assigning staff to various district sites Monday, which many viewed as an attempt to undermine the strike.

“Staff were given work assignments to ensure that anyone who reports to work during a strike has a designated location and can support with district operations,” the message said. Per Mission Local, workers can’t be mandated to report to work, but the school district must provide work to any employees who decline to strike.

Per Mission Local, none of the staff had plans to cross the picket line, and they considered the move an insult. “It is absolutely embarrassing,” said one school principal, per Mission Local. “I am embarrassed on their behalf.”

SFGate has a comprehensive list of resources for families during the strike. The school district will be offering free breakfast and lunch for students, childcare for younger children, and independent study packets. The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families will also be providing meals to students during the strike, and local churches are working with Superintendent Maria Su to provide academic and recreational support, per SFGate.

Image: United Educators of San Francisco/Facebook

Previously: SF Teachers Union Announces Strike for Monday, But 11th-Hour Bargaining Continues

Following two strike votes and the release of a fact-finding report, the San Francisco teachers' union says it will begin its first labor strike in almost 50 years on Monday.

It is getting down to the wire and looking more likely that a historic teachers' strike could begin Monday, following a yearlong impasse between the SF Unified School District and the teachers' union over wage increases, benefits, and more. As the district struggles with a significant budget deficit, union reps insist that the distrct has reserve funds they should be tapping in order to meet teachers' needs.

"Since the strike vote, SFUSD management has begun exploring creative solutions, but so far, no proposals have been made," the union said in an email to members Thursday morning, announcing the strike date of February 9, per Mission Local.

The email reportedly added, "While we appreciate the late stage urgency, we are left with no other option but to [strike]."

If the strike happens, it will be the first time SF teachers have taken such a labor action since 1979, with all contract impasses since then getting resolved. That strike, 47 years ago, lasted for six weeks.

The district and the teachers' union have a bargaining session planned for 5 pm Thursday, and another planned for Friday, and a strike could still be staved off. But several sticking points remain. As the Chronicle reports, one of those sticking points is a hike in the cost teachers pay for family healthcare plans, which would go up to $1,500 per month from $1,200 per month. The district has reportedly offered to cover these premiums for three years, but at that point the deal would expire, and the union wants a greater commitment.

The decision to strike, authorized by two votes of the union membership in December and January, came after a legally mandated fact-finding process that ended with the release of a report on Wednesday. That third-party report turned out to be neutral, and offered suggestions for resolving some of the biggest sticking points between the two parties.

"The report does not go far enough — and the recommendations here alone will not solve the stability crisis in our district," said union President Cassondra Curiel in a Wednesday statement. "Now is the time for the district to come to the table with real solutions and show the community that they are fully committed to funding the classrooms and schools our students and communities deserve."

Mayor Daniel Lurie posted the video message below on Wednesday, saying, "It is crucial that our schools remain open."

Lurie added that he would "continue pushing for solutions" to avoid the strike, and said, "Our working parents can’t afford to stay home if schools are closed. Our special needs students can’t afford to lose access to vital services that help them succeed."

While SFUSD Superintendant Maria Su has said that substitute teachers would be brought in to keep schools open, it seems implausible that the district could find over 6,000 subs to replace the teachers and para-educators who'll be on picket lines. And, as Mission Local notes, unionized janitorial staff is unlikely to cross those picket lines to even open the doors of the city's schools.

Stay tuned for updates.

Previously: San Francisco Teachers Could, Maybe, Go On Strike Next Week

If teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District go on strike next week, amid an impasse with the district over a new contract, it will be the first time in 47 years that this has happened — which, one could say, suggests a resolution to the impasse is still likely to come.

San Francisco teachers took the first of two legally mandated votes in early December to authorize a strike — and the vote was overwhelmingly "yes," with 99% voting in favor, out of 2,400 union ballots cast. The second vote is wrapping up today, as Mission Local reports, and a reported 4,700 votes have been cast this time.

Cassondra Curiel, the president of the teachers' union, tells Mission Local, "We’re anticipating folks are voting 'yes,'" and she called the turnout "historic."

Unions tend to express some bluster as negotiations come down the wire, suggesting their leverage, and that may be what is happening here.

The union last week reportedly rejected a three-year deal dubbed a "stability package," which included a 6% raise spread over three years. The union is also seeking contract language protecting undocumented students and those from mixed-status families, and a reduction in case loads for paraeducators.

The union is seeking 9% raises for certified teachers, spread over two years, and 14% hikes for paraeducators. And union vice president Frank Lara tells Mission Local, of the district, "We are living in different realities."

The SFUSD, meanwhile, is facing a $113 million budget deficit, and an ongoing pattern of declining enrollment — which has also deeply impacted other districts, including Oakland's. That led to a controversial October 2024 proposal to shutter or consolidate 11 schools — a proposal that threw the district into turmoil, and led to a shakeup that brought in a new superintendent.

That superintendent, Maria Su, emailed district families and staff on Friday informing them that negotiations were at another impasse. She floated the possibility that, if a strike occurs, it will mean the school year will likely need to be extended so that student lesson schedules can be completed.

"I am very much committed to meeting our legal obligations to providing 180 days of school for our students,” she said in a video message, posted below. “If necessary, we may extend the school year to ensure that that requirement is met.”

Lara and Curiel both tell Mission Local that while the district tends to cry poverty, they have significant reserves that could be tapped to address the needs of educators.

"They’re sitting on hundreds of millions of reserves,” Curiel tells Mission Local. "Just this December, they moved over $100 million into an extra savings account."

Any strike would not begin before a "fact-finding" process concludes, and that will not be complete until February 4 at the earliest.

The SFUSD has managed to stave off strikes on many occasions in the past, and the last time the union went on strike — for six whole weeks! — was in 1979.