Principals and administrators negotiating past the witching hour at the San Francisco Unified School District’s downtown headquarters breathed a sigh of relief: At 12:33 a.m. Tuesday, they reached a tentative deal with the district.
Following a marathon 16 hours of negotiating, SFUSD principals burdened by staff shortages and depressed resources walked away with a $7,500 bump for every United Administrators of San Francisco-covered worker, followed by a two-percent raise over each of the next three years .
The principals also received a “me too” clause requiring them to receive a raise when other district unions receive one.
The principals and administrators had planned to stage a walkout following Wednesday’s quarterly administrative meeting, and rally outside 555 Franklin St. That action, along with likely plans to strike in the near future, has been called off in favor of a party.
Anna Klafter, the longtime principal at Independence High School and the president of the principals’ union, is pleasantly surprised. Regarding the negotiating session that ended this morning, she said, “The process didn’t really go like I thought it would.” Notably, she did not expect to walk out of the session with a deal.
Both the union and the district made their cases before a three-person “fact-finding” panel. Neutral panel member Donald Raczka, co-elected by SFUSD and the principals’ union, purportedly surprised everyone by stating that he didn’t feel like hearing both sides and then writing up a 30-page report.
Rather, Klafter recalled him saying “I’m going to get you guys to reach a settlement.”
“I was like, ‘No, you’re not,’” Klafter recalled. “But he did.”
Notably, Elliot Duchon, the state-appointed fiscal monitor for the district, was present throughout the negotiations, meaning the tentative deal will not run afoul of the state.
At 12:44 a.m. this morning, Klafter, along with other members of the union and labor negotiators, was pictured smiling next to SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su, who monitored the progress of the negotiations throughout the process.
The district has not yet returned requests for comment.
The agreement comes on the heels of significant pushback administrators received from the school district when they announced their plans to walk out of Wednesday’s meeting. Mission Local reported yesterday that multiple principals were told by Su herself that if they walked out of the meeting, they could face legal consequences.
Klafter says that she’s getting “good vibes” from her colleagues about the proposed deal, though she says, “not everyone will be happy with everything.” She hopes to set up a ratification vote as quickly as possible.
The most important win in the union’s view is the “me too” clause, which guarantees that if another union within SFUSD secures a higher raise, principals and administrators within the United Administrators of San Francisco will receive an equivalent raise.
The district and the teachers’ union are also in the midst of contentious negotiations.
While the proposed Wednesday rally has been repurposed into a party, Klafter says she and her colleagues walked away with the best agreement they could achieve. “We have all these freaking signs,” Klafter laments. But she’s pleased to stow them until some later time.
“I think we were able to get a fair deal that recognizes the work we do,” said Klafter, “and also works within this sort of dim fiscal reality we’re living in.”
Lpe, I suggest you attend board meetings, read https://sfeducation.substack.com/ and talk to parents with school age children.
Lee
Yep! That’s what the district was reacting to, bad press and the parents.
Thanks!
‘Neutral panel member Donald Raczka, co-elected by SFUSD and the principals’ union, purportedly surprised everyone by stating that he didn’t feel like hearing both sides and then writing up a 30-page report. Rather, Klafter recalled him saying “I’m going to get you guys to reach a settlement.”’
Uhhhh…..are we giving enough recognition to this civic-minded superhero?
Did we not want to run him for mayor in the last election? Who is this guy, and thank you!
My kid is not yet old enough for public school but it’s high time I start learning about all this stuff so I’m not completely lost when the time comes. And it’s a better use of time than exchanging a bunch of vapid one liners with other bored people on the bagel story.
I’m starting with superintendent Su. From what I’ve learned so far she was never a teacher, nor does she have any experience in finance, accounting, or anything else particularly relevant to the superintendent role. Is this too harsh? Was she appointed just as a city family loyalist?
Excuse the simplistic question, I’m just getting started in this area. Thanks in advance for any knowledge that fellow readers can share.
“The most important win in the union’s view is the “me too” clause, which guarantees that if another union within SFUSD secures a higher raise, principals and administrators within the United Administrators of San Francisco will receive an equivalent raise.”
Seems basic and legit. Good.
Good for them they deserve the raise, however a strike would not have been very effective, because the district, would just place the teacher, with the most seniority in that position, I use to be the principal when the principal, was absent or in a meeting.
SFUSD is reacting to the bad publicity that they are getting, plus pressure from the parents.