As the sun rose on Monday, many thousands of San Francisco public school teachers and students were anywhere but in a classroom.
After a lengthy stalemate, teachers today commenced the district’s first educator walkout since 1979. Teachers, along with principals and administrators and other unionized district employees, are walking picket lines outside their schools. A 1 p.m. rally is slated for Civic Center Plaza.
Mission Local has reporters across the city covering today’s actions. Check back for updates all day.
War Memorial Building, site of bargaining sessions
“We cannot afford for this to continue,” said Superintendent Maria Su at a 9:30 a.m. press conference at the War Memorial Building, where the union and district staff will continue bargaining at noon. “I am ready to sit back down and I will stay here all night — as long as it takes to get to a full agreement.”
The union is expected to present its counter proposal to the district this afternoon. When asked what the district intends to do if the union does not concede to a lower salary increase than its longstanding demand and the district’s offer of only partially funded family health care, Su would only reply, “I look forward to seeing the counter proposal today.” — Marina Newman
Tenderloin Community Elementary School
In front of the school, 40 people held signs that read “On Strike” and “We can’t wait.” They paced Turk and Van Ness streets as drivers honked in support.
Deirdre Fitzgerald, a third grade teacher at Tenderloin Community Elementary School, said the main reason she’s striking is the “disarray” of the special education department, which she said impacts all students. She also highlighted the low wages, which she said have not been enough to keep up with recent increases in the cost of living in the city.
“What we’re asking for is what every worker in the city should be getting,” she said. “We should be getting a livable wage, we should be getting an organization that is well organized and efficient. We’re just not seeing that right now, and we’re not seeing them come to the table with anything that we can really accept moving forward.” — Béatrice Vallière
Jefferson Elementary School
At Jefferson Elementary School on 19th Avenue and Irving Street, teachers started setting up for the strike at 6:15 a.m.
At 8:50 a.m., almost nonstop, cars, buses, big rigs and fire trucks honked in support as they drive down the thoroughfare. With “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz playing in the background, some 40 teachers walked the picket line with signs reading “on strike for our students” in English, Chinese and Spanish.
“The energy is so high, we have so many students and parents here with us,” said Kirsten Surber, a kindergarten teacher and site captain at Jefferson. “We thoughts it’s only gonna be teachers, but no. That feels so great.”
One teacher told his student there maybe substitute teachers, and the response was, “Mr. Peterson if you’re not here I’m not here.”
“I’m just disappointed they haven’t been serious. They are dragging their feet,” said Steven O’Reilly, a special education teacher at Jefferson.
Josseline and Johanna, who are in fourth and first grade, were walking the picket line with their parents, who are both nurses. Josseline’s favorite subject is social studies, she said, and she just learned about how missionaries would christianize Native American people.
“I can’t teach her that!” said her mom, Justine Sibuyan. The latest knowledge she came home and shared with her parents was that some turtles can breathe through their butts, Sibuyan recalled.
“I just can’t relive Covid again. Zero quality of teaching. And maybe why they’re so addicted to their iPad,” Sibuyan said. “Our caretakers need to be taken care of.” — Junyao Yang
Mission High School
At Mission High on Monday morning, parents and educators were joined by a handful of young students who sleepily raised signs reading “On Strike!” One union member wearing an inflatable bear costume with dangling camo pants bopped up and down as his partner chanted into a megaphone, “We need a fair contract!”
The roughly 50 students and staff were joined by union president Cassondra Curiel and school board member Matt Alexander.
“I am so proud of these educators for standing up for what is right,” said Alexander. “This fight is righteous and necessary.”
Over the weekend, the union and the district came to a tentative agreement on the district’s sanctuary school policy, but not on any of the unions other demands, which include a 9 percent wage increase and fully funded family health care. In just hours, the union and the district are scheduled to meet again. Both Mayor Daniel Lurie and Rep. Nancy Pelosi have beseeched the union and district to come to an agreement.
Standing on the steps of Mission High, Curiel said that she had frequent talks with the mayor. “He supports our demands,” she said. — Marina Newman
Sanchez Elementary School
Cameron Korving and Mariana Fuentes, paraprofessionals for special education classes, were picketing in front of Sanchez Elementary School on Sanchez between 16th and 17th on Monday morning.
“We’re shortstaffed in my classroom,” Korving said.
Teachers have been fighting for higher salaries so that children with special needs can get additional support, she added. “It’s hard for us to make sure each of them is getting a quality education.”
“We just need to be able to survive in this city,” Fuentes said. “I’ve been living here for my whole life, and the rent is going really high.”
Parents and children also joined the strike to show support for their teachers. — Alice Finno
Curiel is either dilusional or just not very bright if she thinks all her demands can be met without some concessions. The California Department of Education isn’t going to allow it. But sure, try to get blood from a stone, drag it out for weeks, all at the expense of our ninos. And then bitch and moan when more families leave for Pacifica, Alameda, Marin, and other places where things actually work.