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A four-day educator strike in San Francisco Unified School District came to a close Friday morning as the local teachers union and the district announced a tentative agreement.
The strike — the district’s first since 1979 — led to school closures throughout the week. Classes will resume for students on Wednesday, Feb. 18, after a districtwide holiday break for Presidents Day and Lunar New Year.
Under the tentative agreement between United Educators of San Francisco and district leadership, all union employees and their dependents would receive fully funded healthcare by Jan. 1, 2027, according to the union. The district would also give classified staff, including paraprofessionals, an 8.5% pay raise, as well as a 4% raise for certificated staff, including teachers over two years.
Other benefits in the tentative agreement include reduced caseloads, increased overage pay and additional supports for the district’s special educators. San Francisco USD would also issue sanctuary protections for students and educators, provide more resources for unhoused students and families, and set limitations on the district’s use of artificial intelligence.
The union said it will release more details about the agreement in the coming days. The deal must be ratified by the union’s members and the San Francisco USD Board of Education.
Once the agreement is ratified, it will bring the union and district’s tenuous 11 months of negotiation to an end.
The strike’s end comes as San Francisco USD grapples with a $102 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year while also being under state oversight for its finances.
The tentative agreement also shows the district and union found some middle ground, given that the union on Monday proposed a 10% salary increase over two years for both teachers and paraprofessionals, while the district had offered 6%.
An independent report — issued in February as part of the collective bargaining process to help both parties reach an agreement — found that a 9% raise would have likely been rejected by the state due to the district’s financial constraints. The report did say, however, that a 6% wage increase over two years was doable for the district.
“I recognize that this past week has been challenging,” said San Francisco USD Superintendent Maria Su in a Friday statement. “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.”
The union also celebrated the tentative agreement with the district, saying it “will have lasting impacts on our students, communities, and our city.”
“At a time when there are ongoing attacks on our profession and our communities, we stood strong in the face of adversity because our students deserve sanctuary schools, shelter in times of crisis, and classrooms staffed with trusted and committed educators who can stay,” the union said in a Friday statement.
