San Francisco Teachers Are on the Brink of a Strike After Mediation Ends With No Deal

San Francisco educators are on the brink of striking for the first time in nearly 50 years, as the teachers’ union said Wednesday that it had reached the end of mediation with the district without an agreement.

The union has already authorized a strike, and now that the mediation process has concluded, educators could walk off the job as soon as next week if they don’t see a deal that meets their top demands, such as fully funded health care.

A monthslong impasse between the union and the San Francisco Unified School District brought both sides to mediation, a state-mandated step that legally must precede a teachers’ strike. That process ended Wednesday with a fact-finding report issued by a panel that includes one representative each from the union and the district, along with a neutral mediator.

“The report does not go far enough — and the recommendations here alone will not solve the stability crisis in our district,” Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said in a statement. “Now is the time for the district to come to the table with real solutions and show the community that they are fully committed to funding the classrooms and schools our students and communities deserve.”

The report is meant to offer an analysis of the merits of both the district’s and the union’s proposals, as well as nonbinding recommendations for a settlement. It recommends the district give union members a 3% raise for each of the next two years and fully fund health benefits for the next three years through existing parcel tax money. After that, the report said, the district should look into the possibility of extending full health care coverage through a different source.

Although the district concurred with the report’s findings, the union dissented in part. UESF argued that paraeducators, who are among the lowest paid in the union, need more than a 3% annual raise and that health benefit coverage should be ongoing, not limited to the next three years.

The union has proposed 9% raises for teachers and 14% for paraeducators over two years, along with fully funded health care and a written commitment to the district’s sanctuary immigration policy and emergency shelter program for unhoused families.

The district has said that such a raise isn’t feasible given its current budget crisis, and it countered with an offer for a 2% raise for each of the next three years in October. Last month, it said it could fund Kaiser Permanente health care benefits through existing parcel tax funding until it expires in three years.

The union said SFUSD rejected its sanctuary and housing proposals, which the district argued should be determined through district policy, not labor contracts. According to the fact-finding report, there are “significant challenges” associated with adding the language to educators’ contracts, which it said “imposes onerous responsibilities on the District as a landlord, job trainer, and legal advocate,” and opens SFUSD up to significant liability.

The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Ahead of the report’s release, Superintendent Maria Su said she believed the district and union were close to a deal and could avert a strike.

“We are at the table; we want to continue and finish this conversation,” she said on Tuesday. “I know that we will be able to get to an agreement.”

The union said in a statement that its bargaining team is prepared to negotiate on Thursday and Friday, though it is unlikely to back down on its core demands. UESF has repeatedly said that it will not sign a deal without fully funded health care coverage, and it’s not clear if it will accept the current temporary proposal. UESF said it hasn’t seen that proposal in writing.

In a dissent issued with the fact-finding report, Angela Su, who represented the union on the committee, said: “I agree that the district should tap into the resources available to fully fund dependent benefits … but dissent that it should be anything other than ongoing.”

The union has said its members’ health care costs are rising exponentially, noting that as of 2026, a family of four pays more than $1,500 a month for coverage.

“Just this January, educators got a 20% increase in our health care costs,” Curiel said Wednesday on KQED’s Forum. “Folks that are teaching … are going to have to go home today and make tough decisions about whether or not they can afford other things for the rest of the month.”

In a statement on social media, Mayor Daniel Lurie said his office is in contact with both the district and union, urging them to “keep talking so kids can keep learning.”

He also said that if a strike goes forward, he’s working with city departments to ensure there are options for students in case classrooms close.

Su has repeatedly said that closing campuses is a last resort, but could be necessary if they do not have sufficient staffing to open safely.

“Our working parents can’t afford to stay home if schools are closed,” Lurie said. “Our special needs students can’t afford to lose access to vital services that help them succeed.”

The union and district could return to the bargaining table as soon as Thursday.