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. 

A pro-wealth advocate is planning a “March for Billionaires” on the streets of San Francisco Saturday to push back against California’s proposed “billionaire’s tax.”

And he swears he isn’t kidding.

“Yes, it’s real,” organizer Derik Kauffman told KRON 4, confirming that the march would indeed take place after many assumed it was as a joke.

“Vilifying billionaires is popular. Losing them is expensive,” reads a message on the event’s official website.

“California benefits enormously when entrepreneurs choose to build here. We’re currently watching them leave.”

Kauffman — cofounder of the AI startup RunRL — told the San Francisco Examiner that the march aims to “change the sentiment… to recognize that billionaires have done a lot for us and communicate that we’re glad they’re here.”

He added that he isn’t acting on behalf of the super rich and hasn’t received any funding from billionaires, organizing the movement on his own.

The march was set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Alta Plaza Park in Pacific Heights, then continue to the Civic Center for a rally at 12:30 p.m.

The San Francisco Unified School District announced Friday all schools across the district will be closed on Monday.

The news came as negotiations between the teachers’ union and the school district are expected to continue over the weekend.

The union is calling for fully funded healthcare, an increase in wages and more stable staffing.

SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su said she believes the proposal presented during Thursday’s negotiations was a win-win; however, the union saw it differently.

“The proposal that we received tonight did not reflect what we understood to have been that intent, it falls very short of that issue and doesn’t address some of our other key issues as well, UESF President Cassondra Curiel said on Thursday.

“I want families to know how deeply we value our educators and committed I am to avoiding a strike,” Superintendent Maria Su said during a news briefing on Friday. “While I am very disappointed these negotiations did not result in an agreement last night, my team and I are prepared to bargain the entire weekend. I do not want a strike.”

This would be the first teachers strike in San Francisco since 1979.

The announcement came along with the district’s “learning resources” in case of a strike. Those can be accessed here.

Bay City News contributed to this report