San Francisco Unified School District officials and the union representing roughly 6,000 educators were locked in negotiations Saturday in an effort to avert a strike that could disrupt learning for tens of thousands of students across the city.
Talks between district leaders and union representatives were taking place inside the War Memorial Building on Van Ness Avenue, directly across from City Hall. Negotiations began around 2 p.m. and continued into the evening, with no breakthrough announced.
As negotiations stretched on, the district announced that schools would be closed on Monday, prompting families to scramble for childcare and alternative plans.
Many parents expressed hope that the two sides could reach an agreement and avoid a strike altogether.
“We think this is resolvable without a strike. We really believe in both sides’ ability to come together and negotiate something that will give our educators what they truly deserve, but also keep our kids in school, which is what they deserve,” said Emily de Ayora of the San Francisco Parents Coalition.
De Ayora, who has three children in the district, said she has already made arrangements for the Monday closure.
“I have a neighbor just a couple of doors down with two kids in SFUSD. And we will be co-watching our kids this week. Mission Science Center, right over here on Mission Street, is going to be hosting open hours on Monday and Tuesday. So we’ll take the kids down there to make a musical instrument,” she said.
Some families who are able to work from home are organizing informal childcare cooperatives, sharing responsibilities and creating safe spaces for children during the closure.
“We’ve organized a bit with some parents in our community. And so we have a play date scheduled. We actually also plan to join the picket with the teachers first thing in the morning and bring in some refreshments and snacks to support them,” said SFUSD parent Erica Collantes-Peter.
However, not all parents have the flexibility to work remotely. For those families, the district has partnered with day camps to offer activities for students. One option, Rock Band Land, is already sold out.
“They’ll have about an hour of playing the instruments, exploring the instruments that they’ve never played before. We have art activities, we have story writing and story listening activities. We have park time, we have free play, we have a bunch of games,” said Brian Gorman, founder and director of Rock Band Land.
While many parents said they can manage a day or two of school closures, a prolonged strike would pose significant challenges for families.
At the center of the dispute are wages and healthcare. The teachers’ union, United Educators of San Francisco, is seeking a 4.5 percent wage increase each year for two years. The district has offered a 2 percent raise each year for the next three years, citing ongoing budget constraints and a deficit.
District officials and union leaders remained inside the building Saturday evening and did not provide any public updates on the status of the talks. Negotiators are expected to continue discussions in hopes of reaching an agreement.
Parents like de Ayora said the stakes are high for families and students if the impasse continues.
“There will be a moment where I will start pulling my hair out, I know this from past experience. But right now, I’m just focused on hopefully getting it over as quickly as possible, getting our teachers what they deserve and getting kids back in school,” she said.
Da Lin
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