SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – San Francisco Unified School district officials and union leaders returned to the negotiating table Saturday in hopes of averting a looming teacher strike, as the clock ticked down to a Monday deadline. 

The district has already taken the step of canceling classes for Monday, as the families of 50,000 students across the city try to figure out a game plan. 

SF parents worry about childcare, learning loss

“It would be tough,” said SFUSD parent Tanya Lavelle. “I think a lot of parents are trying to have backup plans.”

The big obstacle for many is finding childcare. 

What they’re saying:

“Grandparents, thankfully, they’re with us in the city,” said Marianel Varguez. “Grandparents have their lives too. If not, I’m going to have to ask work if I can bring along my two kids for a bit.”

Lavelle has a six-year-old at Alvarado Elementary School in Noe Valley. 

“Me and my husband are trying to figure out a working from home type of situation,” said Lavelle. “My friends, most people have about 2 or 3 days of childcare that they can work out. After that, then we’ll see.”

Varguez, who has a five- and a seven-year-old at Redding Elementary in Lower Nob Hill, is worried about the impact on her young kids’ education. 

“They’re used to the routine, and used to their friends. And them asking what’s going on and why can’t we go to school. It’s a little hard to describe what’s going on at their age,” said Varguez.

District, union leaders hold weekend negotiations

As parents tried to figure out a game plan, talks between the two sides continued on Saturday, with negotiations stretching into the evening.

SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su and union leaders met Saturday afternoon at the War Memorial Veterans Building. At issue are teacher pay, health care, special education resources and programs for immigrant and homeless students. 

The last time SFUSD teachers went on strike was nearly 50 years ago, in 1979. That strike lasted seven weeks. 

“We should take care of our teachers,” said Lavelle. 

While the back-and-forth is adding plenty of stress for parents, many are also voicing their support for teachers. 

“They deserve a lot, and they do so much for our kids in general – in schools and the after-school program. I’m not happy, but I’m glad they’re actually standing up for them,” said Varguez. 

What’s next:

While SFUSD has canceled classes for Monday in anticipation of a strike, a district spokesperson said Saturday it will notify parents right away if there are any updates to that. 

CHICAGO — The Bulls have barely had time to go around in a circle and introduce themselves since they first assembled as a team. Yet they somehow gave the Nuggets a scare on Saturday.

Denver pulled away late for a 136-120 win at United Center to snap its first three-game losing streak of the season, but the performance wasn’t convincing against a roster that looks entirely different after last Thursday. The Bulls had the busiest trade deadline in the NBA, making seven moves and saying goodbye to several of their best players. Six players in their nine-man rotation Saturday were not on the team a week earlier.

The Nuggets (34-19) went into the fourth quarter trailing by seven. They finally put their foot down with a 20-2 run to begin that final frame, led by a relentless Nikola Jokic. Listed as questionable before the game with a mildly sprained ankle, he went for 22 points, 14 rebounds, 17 assists and four blocks, passing Oscar Robertson for second in NBA history with his 182nd career triple-double.

“It hits me, knowing my father played against Oscar Robertson,” coach David Adelman said.

Jokic says he has a space at home designated for “all those little moments, little memories,” where he’ll keep the game ball.

“I think it’s great for after the career,” he said. “I’m gonna look up and I’m gonna lie really good (about how good I was).”

Denver won Jokic’s minutes by 36 and lost the minutes without him by 20. Jamal Murray added 28 points and 11 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 off the bench.

But the Nuggets got killed in the possession battle for most of the night, allowing their hosts to linger. They committed 13 turnovers, with seven of their 10 players responsible for at least one. Chicago also snatched 12 offensive rebounds. Those stats combined to result in a discrepancy of 13 field goal attempts through three quarters.

“DA got on us in the locker room,” Bruce Brown said.

“I have no idea what I was saying, but it wasn’t very instructive. It was very frustrated,” Adelman said. “Just, how many times can you play good defense and then allow them to have a second and third chance? Which is a skill, man. Coming up with the ball. … Getting the ball wins you games. So we did that better in the second half.”

Mostly just in the fourth quarter. Loose balls seemed to be scooped up by only one team for the first two hours of the night. Denver also got disorganized off Chicago’s offensive rebounds or over-helped out of the corners, allowing the Bulls to rain 3s — even new center Nick Richards, who had previously made only one 3-pointer in his career. The Bulls fired up 18 in the third frame alone, finishing the night with 51 as they threatened Denver with an upset that would’ve been mutually self-destructive.

SAN JOSE, CA — When it comes to special teams in the NFL, nearly every team talks the talk – even if it’s merely lip service – regarding their often-crucial importance. But the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks walk the walk.

“We have such a good group of core guys – everybody’s bought in. I think that’s shown when we flipped some games,” Seattle kicker Jason Myers, who led the league with 171 points scored this season, told USA TODAY Sports.

“Everyone always says it’s one-third of the game, but not a lot of places where that’s true. Obviously, we do (believe it).”

Myers was quick to cite the investment from Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who signed him in free agency coming off a Pro Bowl season with the New York Jets in 2018 and added a four-year extension in 2023.

Schneider spent a fifth-round draft pick in 2018 − rare currency for a punter − on Michael Dickson, a second-team All-Pro who’s now on his third contract with the team. Then there was the midseason acquisition of wideout Rashid Shaheed, who’s had a massive special teams impact for the Seahawks – including three TD returns, highlighted by a 95-yarder to open (and effectively end?) the game in Seattle’s 41-6 divisional-round playoff rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

That was among many examples where a special teams play – particularly late in the season – proved pivotal for the Seahawks on their way to the NFC’s top playoff seed and, ultimately, their berth in Super Bowl 60:

▶ In an 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, Shaheed had 137 return yards while Myers accounted for all the scoring (6-for-6 on field goals) on a day when Seattle’s offense couldn’t find the end zone.

▶ In their riveting 38-37 defeat of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, a victory that put the Seahawks in control of the conference’s No. 1 seed, Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return for a TD midway through the third quarter sparked their comeback from a 30-14 deficit.

▶ Dickson’s towering third-quarter punt in windy conditions during the NFC championship game proved too much for the Rams’ Xavier Smith to handle, Seattle’s Dareke Young recovering the muff and setting up a TD pass from quarterback Sam Darnold on the next play (LA never led in the game from that point forward).

“They’re talented players,” Seahawks special teams coach Jay Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports.

“We just have guys that are so about the team, from the weekly preparation to how they operate on game day. When a group of people has that mindset, it’s crazy how good you can get over time. I’m really thankful to be able to coach them. It’s been a blast.”

Jay Harbaugh, ‘underrated hero’

One of Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald’s first orders of business when the team hired him in 2024 was to recruit Harbaugh, with whom Macdonald had overlapped while with the Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan.

“He’s kind of like an underrated hero behind this whole operation,” Macdonald said of Harbaugh amidst the Seahawks’ preparations to face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

“Great eye for talent, the way he got buy-in, and the way that he creatively coached these awesome fundamentals. … It was, like, a very, very easy decision to beg him to come to Seattle – and he’s done a tremendous job from Day One.

“Jay’s awesome.”

Harbaugh – the son of Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who will be in attendance Sunday with the rare opportunity to see one of his son’s games in person, and nephew of New York Giants coach John Harbaugh, his boss for three years in Baltimore – reciprocates his praise for Macdonald.

“Mike makes it really important,” Jay Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports regarding Seattle’s investment in special teams, including the support of fellow coordinators Klint Kubiak (offense) and Aden Durde (defense).

“You’re never battling any of that, which happens in a lot of places. So, getting the staff support and buy-in is a great thing. And then the players making it their own and taking ownership and being able to provide their input and ideas – them being committed to the success of each unit and not chasing their own stats.”

Harbaugh specifically name-checked fullback Brady Russell as a player who could probably attain special teams stardom, such as it is, but willingly plays within the confines of the system for the betterment of the group. An undrafted free agent in 2023, Russell has played nearly 1,000 special teams snaps during his time in Seattle compared to 107 on offense. He has 24 tackles over the past two seasons.