San Francisco Public Schools Shut Down as Teachers Strike Over Pay and Healthcare
San Francisco public schools shut down on Monday as teachers went on strike demanding improved healthcare benefits and pay raises, leaving families of some 50,000 students scrambling for child care and meals.
Members of the United Educators of San Francisco walked off the job for the first time since 1979 after union leaders and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) failed to reach an agreement during a weekend bargaining session.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had pleaded with both sides to keep schools open for three more days while negotiations continued, aiming to “allow kids to stay in the classroom and the adults to keep talking.” Bargaining resumed Monday afternoon, according to a union spokesperson, but there was no set end date for the strike.
The district announced schools would also be closed on Tuesday and urged parents to check the district website “for learning, food, childcare, and district support resources.”
### The Cost of Living and Healthcare Drive Union Demands
In one of the nation’s most expensive cities, “the affordability crisis for those of us devoted to San Francisco’s next generation is real,” said Cassondra Curiel, the teachers’ union president, in a statement.
Curiel added that rising healthcare premiums “are pushing excellent teachers and support staff out of our district,” which currently has hundreds of educator vacancies. “This week, we said enough is enough,” she declared.
On Monday, at school sites across the city, picketing educators marched while rattling cowbells, beating drums, and holding signs reading: “On Strike for Safe and Stable Schools” and “We Can’t Wait / Invest in the Schools Our Students Deserve.”
### Impact on Students and Families
SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su spoke to reporters Monday, emphasizing the strike’s consequences. “Every day this strike continues has real consequences,” she said during a news conference. “Students are losing instructional time. Families are scrambling to take care of their children, to arrange child care.”
She also highlighted concerns for vulnerable students who are losing access to food, mental health support, and connections to their school community, their friends, and trusted educators.
### Labor Unrest in California Education
The San Francisco teachers’ strike may signal more labor unrest in California. Educators in other major districts, including Los Angeles, have indicated readiness to strike for higher pay, smaller class sizes, and more resources.
Last month, members of United Teachers Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leadership to call a strike, increasing pressure amid stalled negotiations and looming staff layoffs and budget cuts in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Similarly, the San Diego teachers’ union voted prior to winter break to authorize a one-day unfair labor practice strike on February 26 if the San Diego Unified School District does not improve special education staffing.
These labor tensions come as COVID relief funds have ended and public school enrollment in California has plummeted in recent years, leading to reduced state funding. Last year, the California Teachers Association launched the “We Can’t Wait” campaign, encouraging union chapters to unite more forcefully in labor negotiations.
### SFUSD’s Budget Struggles
The San Francisco school district has cited “long-term budget challenges made worse by having fewer students and temporary COVID relief funds that are now gone.”
Several prominent lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), joined Mayor Lurie in calling for a 72-hour pause before the strike commenced, urging union leaders to keep classrooms open.
However, the union stressed that its timeline had been clear for some time. A union spokesperson told The Times that “these are not strike-happy people,” noting it had been nearly 50 years since the last San Francisco teachers’ strike, which lasted over six weeks.
SFUSD is currently facing a $102-million budget deficit and remains under state fiscal oversight due to a long-standing financial crisis. The district has stated that if layoffs become necessary to close the budget gap, employees will receive notices this spring.
Superintendent Su affirmed, “We will be at the table and we will stay for as long as it takes to get to a full agreement. I do not want a prolonged strike.”
### What Teachers Are Demanding
Negotiations between the teachers’ union and the district began in March 2025. The union has requested a 9% pay raise over two years, suggesting that funds could come from reserve resources.
On Saturday, the district offered a 6% raise over two years.
Rising healthcare costs for teachers with families remain a major sticking point. According to the union, SFUSD educators receive some of the lowest contributions toward healthcare costs compared to neighboring districts, prompting many to seek employment elsewhere.
Family healthcare premiums have reportedly risen to $1,500 a month, which the union notes can represent up to 40% of the annual income for some of the lowest-earning classroom support staff.
### Voices from the Classroom
Teanna Tillery, union vice president and representative of paraeducators who often work part-time with individual students, described the challenges. Increasing healthcare costs and the Bay Area’s high cost of living have largely offset the $9,000 permanent salary gains their union negotiated two years ago.
“We’re having to commute to other cities because we just can’t afford to be here,” Tillery said. “Most of us work more than one job to make ends meet, and one job should definitely be enough for all educators.”
Tillery shared that for part-time educators with one dependent, healthcare premiums reach about $900 a month—equivalent to 40% of their biweekly pay. For classified employees with two or more dependents, premiums can be as high as $1,500 monthly, significantly impacting paychecks for those not working full-time.
The union is demanding that the district cover all or the lion’s share of medical premiums for members and their dependents.
### District’s Healthcare Proposal
The Associated Press reported that Superintendent Su said the district has proposed two options: pay 75% of family health coverage directly to Kaiser Permanente or offer an annual $24,000 allowance for teachers to select their own healthcare plans.
### Additional Agreements and Rally Calls
On Saturday, the district and union reached a tentative agreement on a sanctuary school policy. This mirrors the city’s own policy and aims to protect immigrant and refugee students.
At a Monday rally at Mission High School, Cindy Castillo, a social studies and ethnic studies teacher and SFUSD alum, called for full accommodations for students with special needs, retention of students and educators of color, and fully staffed campus security teams to prevent violence.
“In my classroom, we talk about how we make change for the common good,” Castillo said. “I am standing here to walk the talk.”
—
As negotiations continue, the eyes of educators, families, and policymakers throughout California remain fixed on San Francisco, awaiting resolution and the reopening of classrooms.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-09/san-francisco-teachers-strike
