San Francisco teachers, district reach deal to end first strike in decades

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco teachers reached a tentative agreement Friday with the school district to end their strike, the first such walkout in nearly 50 years. San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su said schools will reopen to staff Friday and to students Wednesday after a four-day weekend for Presidents Day and Lunar New Year. The strike by about 6,000 public schoolteachers started Monday and the district closed all 120 of its schools and said it would offer independent study to some of its 50,000 students. The two-year tentative deal will give teachers the equivalent of a 5% raise over two years and, in a big win for the United Educators of San Francisco, the district will offer fully-funded healthcare for dependents starting on Jan. 1, 2027. The union said San Francisco teachers receive some of the lowest contributions to their health care costs in the Bay Area, with some having to pay at least $1,200 a month for a family health care plan, pushing many to leave. "This is truly monumental," Su said of the tentative agreement. "For the first time in our school district's history, we are providing full family health benefits." The agreement must be approved by both the San Francisco Board of Education and a majority vote by the teachers union. Teachers joined picket lines four days ago after last-ditch negotiations failed to reach a new contract. Besides higher wages, more health benefits and more resources for students with special needs, they were also asking for more protections for immigrant students and policies around the use of artificial intelligence. The union won more protections for immigrant students, including training for staff on how to address federal immigration enforcement, and agreement from the district against using artificial intelligence to replace teachers. "By forcing SFUSD to invest in fully funded family healthcare, special education workloads, improved wages, sanctuary and housing protections for San Francisco families, we've made important progress towards the schools our students deserve," Curiel said. "This contract is a strong foundation for us to continue to build the safe and stable learning environments our students deserve." UESF had asked for a 9% raise over two years, which would have cost an additional $92 million per year to the district. They say that money could have come from reserve funds that could be directed back to classrooms and school sites. SFUSD, which faces a $100 million deficit and is under state oversight because of a long-standing financial crisis, rejected the idea. Officials countered with a 6% wage increase paid over three years. Su said the money to cover family health plans would come from a special parcel tax. A report by a neutral fact-finding panel released earlier this month recommended a compromise of a 6% salary increase over two years, largely siding with the district's arguments that it is financially constrained. The union and the district had been negotiating for nearly a year. Teachers in other major California cities were also preparing to strike. Members of United Teachers Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize their leadership to call a strike if negotiations with the LA Unified School District fall apart. On Friday, the San Diego Unified School District and San Diego Education Association announced they had reached an agreement on how to proceed with a new contract, averting a strike. Teachers had indicated they're ready to walk off the job for the first time in 30 years over a stalemate with the school district about special education staffing and services.