Teachers in San Francisco have launched a strike, demanding improved health benefits and higher wages, which has resulted in nearly 50,000 students missing school.

As of Wednesday, the San Francisco Unified School District’s 120 schools were expected to shut their doors, with around 6,000 public school teachers participating in the strike. Besides seeking increased pay and better health benefits, educators are advocating for more resources to aid students with special needs.

The teachers’ union initially proposed a 9% salary increase over two years to help mitigate San Francisco’s high living costs, as reported by The Associated Press. However, the district, dealing with a $100 million budget shortfall and under state oversight due to ongoing financial challenges, declined this proposal. Instead, they offered a 6% raise spread over three years, according to the AP.

On Monday, February 9, 2026, teachers, students, and supporters gathered to picket outside Mission High School in San Francisco. (Photo by Jeff Chiu/AP)

In a Tuesday update on Facebook, United Educators of San Francisco announced that 20,000 supporters joined the picket lines, celebrating this as a show of “solidarity.” This turnout was twice the number of attendees from Monday’s picket lines.

The union confirmed ongoing negotiations and promised to keep the public informed of any developments. They also revealed plans for a significant event on Wednesday: after morning pickets, participants would form a massive human banner on the beach, spelling out a 100 by 300-foot message, “STRIKE FOR OUR STUDENTS.”

Negotiations, which had been ongoing for nearly a year, broke down despite San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., urging the two sides to continue discussions and not to shut down schools, the AP reported.

“We will continue to stand together until we win the schools our students deserve and the contracts our members deserve,” Cassondra Curiel, president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said at a Monday morning news conference, the AP reported.

English and Physical Education teacher Alison White leads a chant as teachers and San Francisco Unified School District staff join a citywide protest to demand a fair contract at Mission High School, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in San Francisco. (Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su said on Monday that the district had put together a comprehensive package despite financial difficulties, and was awaiting a counteroffer from the union, according to the AP.

“This is a viable offer. It is an offer that we can afford,” Su said. “We will be at the table and we will stay for as long as it takes to get to a full agreement. I do not want a prolonged strike.”

On Tuesday, Su said that there had been progress, including support for homeless families, AI training for teachers and establishing best practices for the use of AI tools, the AP reported.

Several teachers have cited cost of living concerns as a reason for demanding the higher wages, with some saying they can’t afford to live in San Francisco. Atria Rondone, a fourth grade teacher who has worked in the district for 11 years, said in a video posted by the union that she is working two jobs to make ends meet.

“As a single mom living here in San Francisco, I can’t afford just me and my son on my salary. So, I have to have a second job, and his healthcare is a huge impact to me paying for that by myself,” Rondone said. “We also really need fully-staffed schools.”

Teachers, students and supporters picket outside of Mission High School in San Francisco, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.  (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

Teachers in San Francisco have received support from other unions, including the Chicago Teachers Union, which said in a statement that it “proudly stands in solidarity” with the strikers in California.

“Their fight for livable wages, special education relief, adequate staffing, support for unhoused students and sanctuary protections for immigrant families under federal attack is one that our members and educators across this country know well: school districts that always seem to find money for bureaucracy but never enough for the classrooms,” the Chicago Teachers Union’s statement read.

The American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten also joined striking educators in San Francisco, signaling support from the massive union.