{"id":45442,"date":"2025-12-05T15:39:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T23:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=45442"},"modified":"2025-12-05T15:39:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T23:39:18","slug":"sfusd-teachers-vote-99-34-to-authorize-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/05\/sfusd-teachers-vote-99-34-to-authorize-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"SFUSD teachers vote 99.34% to authorize strike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One more vote, and SFUSD teachers can initiate walkout<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A by\u00a0Junyao Yang<\/a><\/strong> December 3, 2025 (MissionLocal.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Educators arrive at Balboa High School to cast their ballot on a strike authorization vote. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

San Francisco public school teachers today voted 99.34 percent to authorize a strike, following nearly nine months of fruitless contract negotiations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s five-hour session at Balboa High School in the Excelsior is the first of two required votes that will determine if public school teachers go on strike. If that second vote comes to pass and the teachers and district don\u2019t reach a deal, it would be the first San Francisco teacher strike in 46 years.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tally is 99 percent of those who voted on Wednesday, not of the union\u2019s total 6,500 members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mission<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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From 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, educators sporting union sweatshirts trickled in the courtyard at Balboa High School to cast their ballots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMake sure to grab a snack before, because once you vote, you\u2019re out of the building,\u201d a volunteer repeatedly announced over a megaphone.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve realized that the district is not wanting to approach in a serious manner,\u201d said Frank Lara, vice president of the United Educators of San Francisco. \u201cSo it\u2019s pushed us to the edge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Valencia<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A long, contentious history between SFUSD and teachers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not the first time: Two years ago, eight days<\/a> after a 97 percent<\/a> strike authorization vote, the teachers union won a deal that gave them a $9,000 salary increase and an additional 5 percent raise in 2024. It also gave paraeducators a minimum salary of $30 an hour or an 8 percent raise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are following a process with third-party experts to reach a new agreement with the teachers union,\u201d the district wrote in a statement. The district remains committed to \u201cnegotiate in good faith\u201d with the union and the state to achieve \u201ca fair agreement that avoids disruption to student services.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People
Volunteers at United Educators of San Francisco dance to a camera as educators trickled in to cast their vote. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s strike vote, however, came at an especially troubled time for the school district, as it considers significant cuts to fill a $113 million hole in its budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to early budget proposals<\/a> obtained by Mission Local<\/em>, the district is already weighing laying off security guards and school counselors and slashing middle-school health programs, among other cuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, the state has authority to \u201coverride any decision by the San Francisco Board of Education if it believes that decision could compromise the district\u2019s financial stability,\u201d the district wrote. The district is facing another round of major cuts in the 2026-2027 school year, and \u201cdifficult decisions are ahead.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBalancing the budget is a core step toward exiting state oversight,\u201d the district wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Back<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The teachers union, for its part, said many of its demands are low-cost or even no-cost proposals that the district has not responded to since entering into negotiations in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The district has a history of over-budgeting and under-spending, according to Ryan Alias, a teacher at Balboa High School who\u2019s on the bargaining team of UESF, which represents over 6,500 educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A volunteer holds a blank ballot. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe understand that the district doesn\u2019t have money. We get it.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And just like that, the time came to vote for or against a strike. It was a swift process, unlike the strike vote two years ago when teachers waited in an hours-long line at the Excelsior schoolyard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"11\/28-12\/7<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Members who turned out to vote on Wednesday know<\/em> \u2014 better than anyone \u2014 that the district is short on cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe understand that the district doesn\u2019t have money. We get it. We live it every day,\u201d said Elaine Harris, who has taught in the district for 10 years. \u201cBut this is what we can do to advocate for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Educators arrive at Balboa High School to cast their ballot on a strike authorization vote. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The union is demanding dependent healthcare, pay raises \u2014 14 percent for classified employees and 9 percent for certificated employees over two years \u2014 and a special-education workload model that will weigh the time spent on each student, instead of just the number of students served. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educators also want the district to provide a more robust sanctuary school policy, putting legal legwork into language that can protect both students and staff from federal officials on and around campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, amid the potential federal deployment and immigration crackdown in San Francisco, educators told<\/a> Mission Local<\/em> that they wanted the school district to train school staff on what to do if federal agents try to force their way into schools, and to create safe zones for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The union also wants the district to protect and expand current Stay Over<\/a> programs that provide a sleeping place for unhoused families like the one formerly at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 that was relocated to Downtown High School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During contract negotiations, the union says it sent some 20 proposals to the school district, but \u201ceverything we sent was coming back completely rejected or didn\u2019t get responded to,\u201d said Alias. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Educators pose for a photo as they cast their votes. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In September, the district presented a \u201cpackaged proposal<\/a>\u201d that would offer a 2 percent salary increase over two years. But the proposal would eliminate benefits such as paid sabbatical leave, class size limits, and prep time<\/a> for teachers who teach advanced-placement classes or take on extra responsibilities like serving as department heads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only way that they would bargain with us is if we dug the money out of the things that we have already bargained for and won in previous years,\u201d said Alias. \u201cwhich was a nonstarter for us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the union rejected the district\u2019s proposal, the school district and teachers were officially at an impasse. They entered the next step \u2014 mediation \u2014 in October, but that mediation was \u201cunproductive,\u201d Alias said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers\u2019 motivations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Teachers waiting in line to vote had different reasons for showing up and weighing in. Chad Harada, a fifth-grade teacher at Sunnyside Elementary School, said that he was most concerned about class sizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He considers himself fortunate to have a larger classroom for his 29 students, said Harada, but he has seen colleagues struggling to fit enough tables into their classrooms, let alone make space for students to meet in small groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A kid plays by a sign that reads \u201cWe can\u2019t wait for the schools our students deserve\u201d in traditional Chinese. Photo by Junyao Yang on Dec. 3, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elaine Harris, who teaches second graders at Jose Ortega Elementary School, showed up to advocate for healthcare coverage for her family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris, who has two kids, will have to pay about $1,500 for her family\u2019s healthcare coverage starting next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re worried and anxious for our future as a family to continue to live and work here in the Bay Area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris and her husband, also a public school teacher, already have had to move to South San Francisco because of the cost of living in the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Harris wants to do, she said, is \u201cjust to teach kids, and be able to survive as people, and live as humans that are happy and healthy and thriving.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next strike vote \u2014 depending on the progress of bargaining \u2014 would likely take place in January, if it occurs at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe gloves are off. We have seen their inaction,\u201d Alias said. The teachers say they don\u2019t want to strike, \u201cbut there comes a point where we have to put the education of our communities and the experiences of our members to the front.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Junyao covers San Francisco’s Westside, from the Richmond to the Sunset. She moved to the Inner Sunset in 2023, after receiving her Master\u2019s degree from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. You can find her skating at Golden Gate Park or getting a scoop at Hometown Creamery.More by Junyao Yang<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One more vote, and SFUSD teachers can initiate walkout by\u00a0Junyao Yang December 3, 2025 (MissionLocal.org) San Francisco public school teachers today voted 99.34 percent to authorize a strike, following nearly nine months of fruitless contract negotiations.  Today\u2019s five-hour session at Balboa High School in the Excelsior is the first of… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45442"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45443,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45442\/revisions\/45443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}