San Francisco Public Schools Closed Due to Strike
San Francisco public schools will remain closed over the weekend after the district and the union could not come to an agreement on a new contract, impacting around 50,000 students.
The San Francisco Union of Educators initiated a strike before the school year began, marking the first strike by educators in the city since 1979. “We plan to walk the picket lines on Monday, February 9th, and gather at the Civic Center at 1 p.m. to push for an agreement that addresses the needs of both our students and staff. We spent considerable time negotiating with the SFUSD last night,” a statement from the labor union indicated.
In their statement, the union expressed disappointment, saying, “We were hopeful to hear that the district was ready to settle an agreement that could provide stability for our students. However, the proposals regarding special education, healthcare, and pay fell short of our expectations. We did appreciate the progress made about sanctuary schools.”
It was expected that educators would strike on Monday if no resolution was reached. In fact, the union obtained emails revealing that discussions between the San Francisco Unified Federation of Educators and the San Francisco Unified School District were initially scheduled for Friday night; however, the union raised concerns that the district needed more time to prepare a substantial proposal based on the latest demands.
Families were informed over the weekend via text and phone calls that schools would be closed on Monday. San Francisco Unified Superintendent leaders announced that principals and administrators would participate in a sympathy strike that day, and SEIU Local 1021 parents would join as well.
The district has been negotiating with United Educators of San Francisco since March 2025, acknowledging ongoing financial challenges. They recommended a 3% wage increase starting in July 2025, followed by another 3% increase the following year.
President of the San Francisco Federation of Educators, Cassondra Kriel, shared her frustrations regarding the district’s approach, stating, “We are extremely disappointed in the district’s lack of urgency. We’ve received numerous assurances this past week that serious proposals were forthcoming.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had previously pledged that city officials would offer free meals and some extended childcare in response to the shutdown.
As of now, neither the San Francisco Unified School District nor the educators’ union has responded to requests for additional comments.
