San Francisco teachers strike ends as tentative deal reached with district

San Francisco teachers who staged their first strike in decades over wages and family health benefits have reached a tentative agreement with the school district.The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) announced on Friday schools would reopen to staff immediately, and to students on Wednesday, after two holidays.“I recognize that this past week has been challenging,” Dr Maria Su, SFUSD superintendent, said in a statement. “Thank you to the SFUSD staff, community-based partners and faith and city leaders who partnered with us to continue centering our students in our work every day.“I am so proud of the resilience and strength of our community. This is a new beginning, and I want to celebrate our diverse community of educators, administrators, parents and students as we come together and heal.”The strike by about 6,000 public schoolteachers started on Monday, marking the city’s first such walkout in nearly 50 years.SFUSD had closed all 120 of its schools and said it would offer independent study to some of its 50,000 students. The decision left thousands of parents scrambling to find childcare at the last minute.Teachers joined picket lines after last-ditch negotiations failed to reach a new contract. They were demanding higher wages, more health benefits, and more resources for students with special needs.“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,” United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) president Cassondra Curiel said in a statement following the conclusion of the strike. “This contract is a strong foundation for us to continue to build the safe and stable learning environments our students deserve.”The union and the district had been negotiating for nearly a year, with teachers demanding fully funded family healthcare, salary raises and the filling of vacant positions affecting special education and services.The union asked for a 9% raise over two years, which would mean an additional $92m per year for the district. They say that money could come from reserve funds that could be directed back to classrooms and school sites.SFUSD, which faces a $100m deficit and is under state oversight because of a longstanding financial crisis, rejected the idea. Officials countered with a 6% wage increase paid over three years. Maria Su, the district’s superintendent, said the offer also includes bonuses for all employees if there is a surplus by the 2027-28 school year.A report by a neutral fact-finding panel released last week recommended a compromise of a 6% increase over two years, largely siding with the district’s arguments that it is financially constrained.The union said San Francisco teachers receive some of the lowest contributions to their healthcare costs in California’s Bay Area, pushing many to leave. Su said the district offered two options: the district paying 75% of family health coverage to the insurance provider Kaiser, or offering an annual allowance of $24,000 for teachers to choose their healthcare plan.Before reaching deals on raises and healthcare, the union and district agreed on terms regarding artificial intelligence, and increased protection for immigrant students.The average teacher salary in the city is $103,472, not including benefits, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. That salary is 30% higher than it was five years ago, given recent raises. The low end of the pay scale, based on years of experience and education level, is $70,000 and the high end is approximately $131,700.Associated Press contributed reporting