SF Teachers Strike Over As Union, District Reach Tentative Deal

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — San Francisco's teachers' strike has ended after union representatives and the local school district reached a tentative agreement early Friday morning.

As part of the deal, educators will receive a 2% salary boost and fully funded health care benefits, according to a press release from the San Francisco Unified School District. The new contract could cost the district up to $183 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"This historic strike built an unbreakable solidarity across our city, among families, students, educators and community," United Educators of San Francisco, the union representing the city's teachers, said in a statement Friday. "This strike has made it clear what is possible when we join together and fight for the stability in our schools that many have said was out of our reach."

Schools will officially reopen and resume normal operation on Wednesday, district officials said.

"Our educators are the backbone of our school communities," Phil Kim, President of the San Francisco Board of Education, said. "As a district still in fiscal recovery, it is imperative that we find a solution that honors our educators while also ensuring long-term fiscal solvency. The Board looks forward to reviewing the proposal."

Union representatives and district officials have been working since March 2025 to reach a new agreement.

The union said earlier Sunday that they had reached an agreement with the district on one of several divisive issues, but it was not enough to head off a threatened strike.

They accused the district of failing to "sufficiently fund family healthcare coverage and failure to offer wages that keep pace with the Bay Area's high cost of living."

"Let me be clear, I do not want a prolonged strike," Union President Cassondra Curiel said at the time. "I do not want a strike at all. We need to build on the positive momentum from last night's negotiation so that we can get an agreement."

On Monday, thousands of teachers employed by the San Francisco Unified School District hit the picket lines to protest. It marked the first teachers' strike in San Francisco since 1979.

Schools across San Francisco closed during the strike. The district, however, worked with local organizations and city resources to ensure students would have access to positive learning environments, according to officials.

The deal will take up much of the district's $111 million emergency reserve fund, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. It's unclear whether the district will have to make any cuts or other sacrifices to meet the terms of the deal.

While an agreement is in place, the deal falls short 9% of the raise the labor group was asking for and does not include any significant changes to special education teachers' workload, an ask from the union that would have cost the district millions more, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"We know our work is not done," UESF representatives said. "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. This is a foundation for a stable district."