DISCLAIMER: this story was finalized before the development on Friday, Feb. 13. The strike is no longer ongoing.
On Monday, Feb. 9, Lowell’s educators began striking for higher wages and fully covered healthcare for dependents. All public schools across San Francisco will be closed due to the teachers strike and subsequent sympathy strikes declared by administrators and custodians. The strike was authorized after a vote by roughly 5,800 members of United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), the union representing San Francisco’s over 6,000 teachers and paraprofessionals, in which 97.6 percent voted for the strike to commence. Despite the call, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has informed teachers they are expected to report to “redeployment hubs,” one of which is Lowell. The minority of teachers not participating would have to cross picket lines to enter the school.
Outside of Lowell, teachers gathered to protest before heading to City Hall. There, hundreds of SFUSD educators across the city chanted and gave speeches. They repeated a shared sentiment, that the strike would last as long as necessary for teachers’ demands to be met. While on strike, teachers will be unpaid and unable to work, instead organizing in picket lines outside of schools and district offices. Many express a sense of solidarity with each other, but regret not being in the classroom. Michael Ungar is a social studies teacher at Lowell. “[Going on strike] feels, frankly, awful,” he said. “I don’t like this one bit. I’d rather be doing my job.”
SFUSD and UESF have been bargaining since March of 2025. Although the debate began as part of the normal two to three year contract renewal cycle, negotiations escalated until an impasse was declared in October 2025. As a result of the continued disagreement, teachers have been working under an expired contract for over seven months. UESF has nine proposals that have consistently been rejected by the district. The teachers’ main demands include a nine percent wage increase over two years and fully covered health benefits for dependents. Storm Wold is an economics teacher at Lowell. “We need these benefits to keep up with the standard of living,” Wold said. “I’m making below the poverty line still and I have my masters. I have so many years of experience [and] so much hard work, and yet I’m barely making ends meet.”
Other proposals by UESF that have been rejected by the district include a cap on class sizes, reform of special education classes, and overnight shelter for unhoused students. Rebecca Johnson is the chair of Lowell’s Social Studies department and on the bargaining team for UESF. “We’re looking for our schools to be stable, to be safe, and to serve the needs of our students and our educators,” she says. “It’s disappointing when you’re being told no to things that are actually in the best interests of both students and educators.”
The union’s proposals are part of “We Can’t Wait”, a campaign by the California Teachers Association which unites school districts across California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento. In total the campaign combines 32 school districts and serves one million students. They share similar demands relating to salary, class size, and school safety. Districts across the state are in similar stages of bargaining and fact-finding and reflect state-wide frustrations.
However, SFUSD argues it doesn’t have the funds to support teacher’s demands. A neutral fact-finding report published on Feb. 4 largely sided with the district. The report was co-authored by a district representative, a UESF representative, and a third party expert. SFUSD cites a budget deficit of over 100 million dollars as reason for refusing UESF’s proposals. In addition, for each day teachers strike, the district stands to lose seven to 10 million dollars due to lack of student attendance. Currently, SFUSD is under state oversight for its negative balance. Kathleen West is a biology teacher at Lowell and one of Lowell’s main union representatives. She expresses frustration with the district’s financial situation. “SFUSD’s ongoing lack of transparency and poor financial management have real consequences for students and families.” West says, “Even with a new contract, budget cuts and layoffs could continue unless the district is held accountable for how it allocates resources.”
The last meeting before the strike between SFUSD and teachers took place on Sunday, Feb. 8. As no deal was reached, teachers are going on strike for the first time since 1979, which made history in California for its length at seven weeks. Negotiations are ongoing during the strike, which will last until an agreement is made between the two parties. The date of graduation will not be impacted, nor is the school year expected to be extended. To students, teachers say the strike is essential for them to continue doing their work. “We do care [about students], and so trust us when we say this strike is necessary for us.” Wold says, ”We are organizing by department, we are organizing by school, and we are ready.”
All teacher interviews took place outside of school hours.
