San Francisco public schools and the teachers union reached a tentative agreement early Friday morning, ending a four-day strike that closed schools for the week.
The San Francisco Unified School District agreed to fully fund dependent health care — a key demand of the United Educators of San Francisco — by January 2027, with increases in contributions for eligible workers by July 2026. The union argued that health care, which costs educators up to $1,500 monthly to cover families, contributed to constant teacher turnover, while the district pointed to state oversight of its budget deficit as its main fiscal constraint.
Teachers returned to work on Friday, which was treated as a transition day, and the district’s 49,000 students are scheduled to return next Wednesday following the Presidents Day and Lunar New Year holidays. The last strike, 47 years ago, took six weeks to resolve.
Under the agreement, certificated teachers will receive a 2% raise this year and again next year, and two additional paid work days on the calendar, while classified workers (including paraeducators and instructional aides) will receive the equivalent of an 8.5% raise over two years. The union agreed to pause sabbaticals next year.
Union leaders first proposed 9% over two years, while the district offered a 4% raise over two years and partially funded family health care, the sticking points for months. The two sides agreed also on sanctuary protections for immigrant students and staff, and worker protections around district use of artificial intelligence.
“By forcing SFUSD to invest in fully funded family healthcare, special education workloads, improved wages, sanctuary and housing protections for San Francisco families, we’ve made important progress towards the schools our students deserve,” said the union’s president, Cassondra Curiel, in a statement. “This contract is a strong foundation for us to continue to build the safe and stable learning environments our students deserve.”
The union pushed for a shift to a workload model for special education basing staffing on varying time needs of students rather than the number of students. The district agreed to a timely process to appeal caseloads and pledged to spend $2 million next school year to ensure time for compliance duties. It will form a joint committee with budget authority to oversee special education and respond to conditions, according to the tentative agreement.
“This is a monumental tentative agreement with the United Educators of San Francisco,” said Superintendent Maria Su in a statement. “This agreement enhances our efforts to recruit and attract talented educators to work in San Francisco public schools and reflects our commitment to invest in educators. I know it has been a hard week, and I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our students and families. We cannot wait to welcome you back to school.”
The district said it was offering a $183 million economic package at a time of state fiscal oversight that required $114 million in cuts to its $1.3 billion budget this year. It must be ratified by United Educators of San Francisco members, who held a victory rally on Friday, and approved by the Board of Education.