A San Francisco teachers’ strike that closed public schools for some 50,000 students this week ended Friday as the union reached a tentative agreement with the cash-strapped school district, which will provide pay raises and improved healthcare benefits.
The tentative contract between the San Francisco Unified School District and United Educators of San Francisco includes a 5% raise over two years for teachers and fully funded healthcare for union members and their families starting in 2027, according to the union.
“We won!” the union said in a statement just after 5:30 a.m. Friday.
“We know our work is not done,” the statement read. “While we didn’t win everything we know we deserve, this strike allowed us to imagine our schools and classrooms as they should be with staffing levels high enough that our students can learn and thrive.”
Schools have been closed since the strike began Monday, leaving families to scramble for child care and meals as teachers rallied for their first strike since 1979.
Campuses will not reopen until Wednesday. The district called Friday a “transition day” for staffers, who were expected to return to their work sites. The district said schools would remain closed Monday for Presidents Day and Tuesday for Lunar New Year.
“I recognize that this past week has been challenging,” San Francisco schools Supt. Maria Su said in a statement Friday.
She added: “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.”
Teachers took to picket lines despite last-minute pleas from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and prominent lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), to keep classrooms open while contract negotiations — which began in March 2025 — continued.
The union said it had been clear about its timeline.
The San Francisco teachers’ strike could portend more labor unrest in California, where educators in other major districts, including Los Angeles, have signaled that they, too, are prepared to strike for higher pay, smaller class sizes and more resources.
Last year, the California Teachers Assn., the statewide teachers’ union, launched the “We Can’t Wait” campaign, urging union chapters to band together to be forceful in labor negotiations.
Members of United Teachers Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize their leadership to call a strike, increasing pressure as negotiations stall and as the Los Angeles Unified School District is planning for likely staff layoffs and budget cuts.
In San Diego, the teachers’ union voted before winter break to authorize a one-day unfair labor practice strike on Feb. 26 if the San Diego Unified School District does not improve special education staffing.
Unions representing educators for at least two Sacramento-area school districts — the Natomas Unified School District and Twin Rivers Unified School District — also voted this month to authorize strikes.
The 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.
The San Francisco deal comes as the district is facing a $102-million budget deficit and is under state fiscal oversight because of a long-standing financial crisis. The district has said that if layoffs are needed to close the gap, employees will be given notices this spring.
San Francisco is one of the nation’s most expensive cities, where the average home sells for nearly $1.4 million and the average monthly rent of $3,700 is double the national average, according to Zillow.
Cassondra Curiel, the teachers’ union president, said in a statement this week that “the affordability crisis for those of us devoted to San Francisco’s next generation is real.”
Curiel said rising healthcare premiums were adding to the financial strain, pushing teachers and support staff out of the district, which has hundreds of educator vacancies.
The tentative agreement falls short of the 9% pay raise for teachers that the union had asked for.
The deal, according to the union, includes an 8.5% pay raise over two years for lower-paid classified employees.
The agreement also includes so-called sanctuary school protections for immigrant and refugee students and limitations on the district’s use of artificial intelligence.
