Konstella

When

Wed, Jan 21 12:31am

Description

Grattan Families,

We are writing with an important update on a potential SFUSD educators' strike in early February. Please be sure that you are receiving messages from Konstella and from ParentVue (noreply@sfusd.edu) so that you stay up to date on the latest information.

Strike Vote
Teachers and paraeducators will be taking a final vote starting this week on whether to authorize a strike (voting will take place from Jan. 21-Jan. 28). Any strike would provide for 48 hours' notice, meaning the soonest a strike will occur is early February.

Planning for a Strike
A strike is a last resort for all parties involved; SFUSD teachers have not gone on strike since 1979. If there is a strike, teachers and paraeducators will not be at work. They will be picketing outside of schools during the strike, and they will be asking families to honor the picket line, not attend school, and join in picketing. Principals may honor the picket line and not work. The Superintendent may ask students to attend school. It is not known whether any staff from the district will be at school during a strike, but it is likely to be extremely minimal.

Families should start thinking about strike planning now, figuring out alternative childcare options including exploring community or family support, whether they can work from home or organize informal learning pods with other families who can do so.

There will likely be food support for families who rely on school breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. We will share that information when it is available.

More Info/Involvement

If you are interested in supporting Grattan educators during a strike, please contact 4th grade parent Sarah Grossman-Swenson at 510-316-3283 or sarahtgs@gmail.com.

If you are interested in supporting the District during a strike, you can contact the District at 415-241-6000.

Information from the Teachers' Union

The teachers state that they are seeking a cost of living increase to ensure SFUSD can retain teachers and remain competitive with nearby districts, and lower special education case loads, so that educators can meet the needs of children in special education within the district. They are also seeking increased health care coverage for educators with dependents (who may spend up to 40% of their salary on health care). The teachers have pointed out that over $100 million was recently set aside by the district in a "rainy day" fund, and advocate for meeting the needs of educators and students now. https://uesf.org/news/bargaining-updates/

Information from the District

SFUSD states that while it deeply values its educators, the district is also grappling with a dire fiscal reality, and it cannot afford more than a 2% raise for educators. https://www.sfusd.edu/information-employees/labor-relations/negotiations-updates

Planning with Employers
While everyone's circumstances are different, families may want to consider giving employers a heads up about the potential disruption to their availability during a strike - some sample text is below -

"Hello [Manager's Name],

I’m writing to give you a heads up regarding a potential labor strike within my children’s school district. While a strike has not been officially called yet, negotiations are ongoing, and there is a possibility of a strike as early as early February.

I wanted to be proactive about how this might impact my schedule. If a strike occurs, I may need to:

-Adjust my working hours: Shift my start or end times to coordinate with childcare pods.
-Work remotely: Handle my responsibilities from home while my children are out of school.
-Take intermittent time off: Utilize PTO for portions of the day if childcare gaps arise.

I am working to find alternative childcare support to minimize the impact on my workday. My goal is to ensure all my core responsibilities and deadlines remain on track, and I will keep you updated as soon as I know more."

If you have questions or need help thinking through options, please reach out. We understand this creates uncertainty and stress for families. We are here to support one another and help share information as things evolve.

With empathy and care for our entire community, families, educators, and students.

Kristin Ryker + Samantha S. Low
2025-2026 Grattan PTA Co-Presidents