A teachers strike in San Francisco is poised to enter a third day on Wednesday amid tense negotiations that have shut down schools this week.
The district in a brief news conference late Tuesday said negotiations were still ongoing and later announced on its website schools will stay closed on Wednesday.
Some parents and students joined educators earlier in the day on the picket lines calling for a new contract for teachers. The work stoppage is the first time San Francisco Unified School District teachers are on strike in nearly 50 years.
There are many other parents who are trying to figure out what to do with their kids and how to feed them during the strike. The school closures have impacted about 50,000 district students.
The Latino Task Force and Mission Language and Vocational School on Wednesday rolled out day programs for students who are already enrolled in their after school programs. About 32 kids showed up for Tuesday’s program and the school is expecting more on Wednesday if the strike continues.
The facility is also a free breakfast and lunch distribution spot for any family that may need meals.
“The food access is key,” Mission Language and Vocational School Director Efrain Barrera said. “What we’re hearing is the majority of the students are unhoused. So food becomes primary.”
The city’s Department of Children Youth and Families is dropping off boxes of pre-packaged breakfasts and lunches that can be picked up by any student. There are about 40 of similar pickup sites across the city.
The teachers’ union earlier this week said negotiations have stalled and there is little movement on their demands for better wages, fully-funded health care and a stabilization in teacher staffing.
The United Educators of San Francisco said monthly family health care premiums have gone as high as $1,500 a month.
The union said they lose teachers to nearby school districts who offer fully-funded health care benefits, leaving staffing shortages and vacancies throughout the district.
Meanwhile, SFUSD said they have offered what they can, including $24,000 a year to help pay for health insurance costs.
Cliff Yee, board member of the San Francisco Parents Coalition, joined Raj Mathai Monday to talk about the impact that the strike will have on students.