San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) families are racing to line up child care, learning plans, and backup transportation as teachers prepare to launch the city's first districtwide strike in nearly five decades on Monday, February 9.
The United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), which represents more than 6,000 educators, has been in negotiations with the district for nearly a year over pay, health benefits for dependents, class sizes, and support for special education students.
A second strike authorization vote wrapped up in late January after a fact‑finding report failed to resolve major disagreements, leaving union leaders free to call a walkout. The last time San Francisco teachers went on strike was in 1979, underscoring how unusual and disruptive the looming action could be.
Parents stuck between work and school
District officials have warned that if large numbers of teachers do not report to work, some schools could close or operate with severely limited services, leaving parents to fill the gap on short notice, according to The San Francisco Standard.
Families are now weighing difficult choices: taking unpaid leave, working from home while supervising children, or relying on relatives, neighbors, or paid child care that many say they cannot easily afford.
One SFUSD parent, Rasheq Zarif, said he worries about families "that don't have that same level of support...both with respect to childcare, and also when it comes to food services," noting that many students depend on school meals.
The district has given Superintendent Maria Su emergency authority to keep campuses open where possible, including hiring substitute teachers and making rapid spending decisions during a strike.
Officials say they will notify families as soon as any formal strike notice is received and plan to share updated information and resource lists, including meal access and community programs, through the SFUSD website and school messages.
Su has stressed that the district's goal is to "keep our students in our classrooms where they can continue to learn and receive the support they deserve and need," even as talks continue.
Learning plans in limbo as talks stall
Parents are also scrambling to protect their children's learning time after several years of pandemic and budget‑related disruptions, The Frisc reported.
Some families say they will organize small group study sessions, leaning on online learning platforms, older students, and retired teachers to keep kids on track if schools close. Others are calling for both sides to reach a deal quickly, arguing that students cannot afford more lost instructional days.
Negotiations remain tense, with the union demanding larger raises and permanent, contract‑level guarantees for dependent health coverage, while the district cites financial limits and has proposed more modest pay increases tied in part to parcel‑tax funds.
The union also wants stronger commitments for special education staffing and protections for immigrant and unhoused students, while the district prefers to address some of those issues through separate policy memos rather than the labor contract itself.
With the strike deadline days away, parents say they are left with more questions than answers, and a weekend to improvise care and learning plans that may need to last far beyond Monday's picket lines, as per Yahoo News.
