About 6,000 San Francisco public schoolteachers walked off the job Monday after the teachers’ union and the district failed to reach an agreement on wages, health benefits and student resources, marking the city’s first strike of its kind in nearly 50 years. The walkout immediately affected families, with the San Francisco Unified School District closing all 120 schools and telling the public it would provide independent study to some students.
The dispute followed last-ditch negotiations over the weekend that did not produce a new contract. Union leaders said they want higher pay and fully funded family health care, along with more staffing and resources they say are needed for special education and related services, as well as policies aimed at supporting homeless and immigrant students and families.
At a Monday morning news conference, Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said the teachers would continue their action until their demands were met. “We will continue to stand together until we win the schools our students deserve and the contracts our members deserve,” Curiel said.
The district said it had put forward a “comprehensive package” despite what Superintendent Maria Su described as entrenched financial difficulties. Su told reporters Monday that the district’s proposal was “a viable offer” and that it could be afforded, adding that the district planned to stay at the bargaining table as long as needed, while expressing concern about the length of the strike. “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,” Su said.
On the union side, teachers described cost-of-living pressures in San Francisco and said the current contract no longer allows many educators to afford to live in the city. Lily Perales, a history teacher at Mission High School, said from a picket line that “Too many of my colleagues have been pushed out of the city because of the high cost of living, and with our current contract it’s not enough,” adding, “We’re willing to be on strike until all of our demands are met.” Aaron Hart, a photography and media arts teacher at Mission High, said the walkout reflected understaffing in schools and said the union sought “stability for our students.”
Both sides’ positions have been shaped by budget constraints and ongoing talks that have stretched for nearly a year. The union is asking for a 9% raise over two years—something it said would translate into an additional $92 million per year for the district—and has argued that reserves could be redirected back to classrooms and school sites. The district rejected that approach and offered a 6% wage increase paid over three years, along with bonuses for employees if there is a surplus by the 2027-28 school year, Su said.
Officials also pointed to a neutral fact-finding panel report released last week that recommended a compromise of a 6% increase over two years, largely aligning with the district’s position that it is financially constrained. The union said the district’s health-care contributions are among the lowest in the Bay Area, a factor it said has pushed teachers to leave, while Su described two options the district presented for family health coverage: paying 75% of costs for Kaiser coverage or offering teachers an annual allowance of $24,000 to choose their health care plan.
The strike drew support and political pressure for continued negotiations. Mayor Daniel Lurie and Democratic U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco had urged the two sides to keep talking rather than shut down schools, and Lurie said in a social media post Sunday that city agencies were coordinating with the district on how to support children and families. “I know everyone participating in these negotiations is committed to schools where students thrive and our educators feel truly supported, and I will continue working to ensure that,” Lurie said in the post.
As teachers picketed Monday, parents faced disruptions and sought alternatives for child care. Rachel Machta, whose 4-year-old daughter is in transitional kindergarten, said her family had arranged help through an after-school program that was offering a full-day camp that week, and Machta said other mothers in the Mission Terrace neighborhood were coordinating additional coverage for parents who lacked other options. “Everyone is sharing resources, and our community is coming together to make sure there is coverage,” Machta said.
The walkout also followed broader labor momentum in other parts of California. Teachers in San Diego indicated they are ready to strike next month for the first time in 30 years over a stalemate involving special education staffing and services, and members of United Teachers Los Angeles voted last month to authorize their leadership to call a strike if talks with the Los Angeles Unified School District fail. A similar strike-authorization vote by Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union was scheduled to begin next week.
Negotiations were scheduled to resume around midday, with the union planning a Monday afternoon rally at San Francisco City Hall, and the district said schools would remain closed Tuesday as bargaining continued.