First off, I want to acknowledge that for so many of us, the initial response is one of worry and frustration—from figuring out childcare to making sure our kids are getting the time in the classroom that they need. I am with you!
But I have also personally spent the past ten years in SFUSD pushing and advocating and writing letters and leading committees to fight for the type of resources that will make our public schools stellar. And while we have seen many small wins, if we want to truly shift the ways that our city and state governments prioritize education, the most effective tool we have is the TEACHERS. Their union is powerful, and a strike—by design disruptive, anxiety producing and headline grabbing—is its most brutal but effective tool. And when families stand with teachers, real change can happen.
Currently, districts across California are in the midst of a coordinated effort to demand the resources that students need, from smaller class sizes to fully-staffed special education teams and protection and support for unhoused students and immigrant communities. This is a fight for a reimagining of public education across the entire state.
Thank you for being a part of this beautiful public school community, and if you are looking for more ways to get directly involved, please email me directly! erin.feher@gmail.com
Hello Lafayette Community,
We wanted to take some time to send updates about the meeting between the district and the UESF bargaining team on Friday, January 23rd. The meeting took place from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. During that time, the UESF team synthesized the demands we’ve been advocating for over the past 10 months in formal bargaining. Our top demands remain:
- Fully funded dependent healthcare
- Improved working and learning conditions for Special Education
- A wage increase
- Protection and support for unhoused students and immigrant communities
In the long period of bargaining, we’ve received one formal proposal from the district that offered a 2% raise over two years on the condition that UESF drop all of our other priorities and sacrifice AP prep periods, teacher sabbaticals, and protections on class sizes. The offerings from the district on Friday included similar concessions such as:
- Funding family health benefits for only three years, and not including it in the contract
- Fund family health benefits by giving up lifetime retiree benefits
- Give a 2% raise each year if teachers sacrifice other benefits like prep time.
We are committed to bargaining with the district and finding a solution that creates sustainable work environments for educators and learning environments for students. We appreciate that the district is showing signs that they finally are preparing to negotiate.
Thank you for your continued support of our staff, students and communities. If you want to learn more or ask questions, please join the UESF virtual community town hall on January 28th, 2026 at 6:00 PM. Here is the the link to register.
Best,
Lafayette Elementary School UBC