San Francisco parents scramble as teachers strike leaves 50,000 students out of school

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Connor Haught has been juggling virtual work meetings and arts and crafts projects for his two daughters as his family tries to navigate a teachers strike in San Francisco with no end in sight.

Haught’s job in the construction industry allows him to work from home but, like many parents, he and his wife were scrambling to plan activities for their children amid the uncertainty of a strike that has left nearly 50,000 students out of the classroom.

“The big concern for parents is really the timeline of it all and trying to prepare for how long this could go on,” Haught said.

The San Francisco Unified School District’s 120 schools remained closed for a third day Wednesday. Parents said they feel left in the dark and want both sides to negotiate with urgency. About 6,000 public schoolteachers are on strike for higher wages, health benefits, and more resources for students with special needs.

Some parents are taking advantage of after-school programs offering full-day programming during the strike, while others are relying on relatives and each other for help with child care.

Haught said he and his wife, who works evenings at a restaurant, planned to have their 8- and 9-year-old daughters at home the first week of the strike. They hope to organize play dates and local excursions with other families. They have not figured out what they will do if the strike goes on.

“We didn’t try to jump on all the camps and things right away because they can be pricey, and we may be a little more fortunate with our schedule than some of the other people that are being impacted,” Haught said.

The United Educators of San Francisco and the district have been negotiating for nearly a year, with teachers demanding fully funded family health care, raises and the filling of vacant positions impacting special education and services.

On Wednesday, hundreds of teachers gathered at San Francisco's Ocean Beach to form the word “strike” in large letters as negotiations continued. Schools will remain closed Thursday, the district announced.

Teachers on the picket lines said they know the strike is hard on students but they walked out to offer children stability in the future.

“We believe our students deserve to learn safely in schools, and that means having fully staffed schools. That means retaining teachers by offering them competitive wage packages and health care, and it means to fully fund all of the programs we know the students need the most,” said Lily Perales, a history teacher at Mission High School.

Earlier Wednesday, Superintendent Maria Su urged both sides to act with urgency, saying the district had a counterproposal ready Tuesday night and was prepared to stay all night, but union negotiators had left for the day.

“We have been ready to negotiate this entire time. We are prepared and committed to getting this agreement done today,” she said at a morning press conference.

The two sides have yet to agree on a wage increase and family health benefits. The union initially asked for a 9% raise over two years, which they said could help offset the cost of living in San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in the country. The district, which faces a $100 million deficit and is under state oversight because of a long-standing financial crisis, countered with a 6% wage increase over three years.

Families with the San Francisco Parents Coalition spoke Wednesday to urge both sides to compromise.

"Everyday that the schools are closed, it comes with incredible pain and cost to many, many, children,” said Mahdi Rahimi, who has a son in public school.

On Tuesday, Sonia Sanabria took her 5-year-old daughter and 11-year-old nephew to a church in the Mission District neighborhood that offered free lunch to children out of school.

Sanabria, who works as a cook at a restaurant, said she stayed home to take care of the children because leaving them with her elderly mother all day is not an option.

“If the strike continues, I’ll have to ask my job for a leave of absence, but it will affect me because if I don’t work, I don’t earn,” Sanabria said.

Sanabria said she has given them reading and writing assignments and worked with them on math problems. She is making plans for them day-by-day.

Teachers "are asking for better wages and better health insurance, and I think they deserve that because they teach our children, they take care of them and are helping them to have a better future,” she said. “I just hope they reach agreement soon.”