SF School Beat: No Strike!

This figure falls in between the last public offer of the district (7.5%) and the goal of the union of reaching 10% to 12%. It's not the high double-digit raise that we all agree they deserve, but it does put them near or just above the increase in the cost of living since the previous contract ended. Hopefully after ratification further information will describe a contract that addresses some of the non-financial issues too.

With the preparations of Oakland teachers for a potential one-day strike on April 20th reminding us of what we might have been facing next week, all parties should be congratulated on finding a place of agreement. Some of us were already starting to plan for what might have been, including looking into Oakland's recent pass with the successful strike-schools that teachers put together during the 1996 walkout. Fortunately that can remain a history lesson for another day.
We have spent this year paying mightily for past avoidance of resource planning. Crafting a new contract with the teachers was the last of a series of steps that could no longer be delayed. Not all of those steps ended in outcomes that made anyone happy. Many are still smarting from the school closure decisions and some, notably the John Swett Elementary School community and supporters, are continuing to organize on that front.

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