San Francisco Unified School District teachers strike will continue for 3rd day
By Tim Fang
Schools in the San Francisco Unified School District will be closed on Wednesday, for a third straight day, said Laura Dudnick, SFUSD director of communications, on Tuesday.
“The superintendent has decided that schools will not be open to students tomorrow, Wednesday,” Dudnick said. “We presented a package proposal to our labor partners a little after noon today, and we are waiting to receive their counter.”
She said they are still working to come to an agreement on salary, health care and special education.
About 6,000 teachers represented by the United Educators of San Francisco began walking the picket lines a day earlier, after the district and union were unable to reach an agreement over the weekend. Both sides returned to the bargaining table on Monday and negotiations continued Tuesday.
“We will continue to work around the clock to come to an agreement that honors our educators and that is also fiscally responsible. We have a few remaining articles that we need to close today: Healthcare, salaries, and special education work,” superintendent Maria Su said at a briefing Tuesday morning.
Su said the proposal needs to be aligned with the recommendations with a third-party fact-finding report released last week and reiterated that the district is under state oversight and is dealing with a deficit.
“We have very real and very serious fiscal constraints. We have to work hard to put forward creative, responsible solutions at the table,” Su added. “I continue to believe that we can come together in good faith and reach an agreement that is fair, responsible, and sustainable.”
The union representing educators met with the district Monday afternoon to give their counteroffer to the latest proposal by the district.
SFUSD’s offer included a 6% raise over two years, in line with a neutral fact-finding report and an annual allowance of $24,000 for health coverage.
Nathalie Hrizi with UESF told CBS News Bay Area on Monday their number one sticking point was fully funded healthcare coverage.
“I’d say we are cautiously optimistic about it. We have seen a lot of movement from the district after 11 months of absolutely nothing. So we’re feeling good about that,” Hrizi said.
In addition to healthcare, wages and support for special education teachers also remained issues, according to the union.
“The educators and district are at the table right now. They are making progress, and I am encouraging them to stay at the table and get this deal done,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in an update posted to his social media Monday evening.
Lurie said services provided to students would continue Tuesday, with programming expanded to 55 sites around San Francisco.
The city said it would continue to provide full daycare for families already enrolled in the Department of Recreation and Parks afternoon programming in about 20 sites. Meanwhile, public school students who rely on school for access to food can pick up meals at the same sites that students picked up food on Monday.
Lurie also said the Department of Early Childhood has identified places with increased capacity to accept children for families with Pre-K and TK students.
“Our kids deserve schools where they can thrive and their educators feel truly supported. I hope that the adults keep talking and reach an agreement as soon as possible so our kids can get back in the classroom where they belong,” the mayor said.
