Hundreds of striking Sacramento-area educators and their supporters from two school districts converged Thursday morning to call on local leaders to meet their demands for pay raises, improved health care coverage and staffing increases.
The joint march across the Tower Bridge in front of the state Capitol marked a symbolic moment of a unified effort to urge education reform not just in the capital city, but throughout the state.
Bargaining sessions between Twin Rivers Unified School District and its union over three consecutive days, aided by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, did not produce an agreement. Natomas Unified School District and its union have not met since Sunday. The two unions are in their sixth and third days of striking, respectively.
Teachers in Dublin have been on the picket line since Monday, putting the total number of California students going without instruction at around 55,000.
Meanwhile, unions in West Sacramento and Los Angeles have each authorized strikes and are currently in the fact-finding stage of mediation. If Los Angeles’ 33,000 teachers go on strike, 600,000 students would be without classroom instruction. Earlier this month, around 50,000 students in San Francisco missed four days of school.
The fact that these tense negotiations are all underway this year is no coincidence — they are a part of the California Teachers Association’s “We Can’t Wait” coordinated bargaining campaign among 32 school districts to “fight for increased wages, staffing improvements and more resources for students.”
Kelli Springer, a fourth grade teacher at Strauch Elementary, attends a rally held by the Natomas Teachers Association and Twin Rivers United Educators in Sacramento on Thursday as a part of their strikes against their respective districts. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
The tens of thousands of California educators who have taken to the streets or are considering it are united in their struggles — teachers are struggling to keep up with California’s high cost of living and increasing health care costs. Many report poor classroom conditions due to large class sizes and a lack of support structures, especially in regard to special education.
When do the cries of frustrated teachers and tens of thousands of children going without school instruction amount to a state crisis? Local officials like Sacramento City Councilmember Karina Talamentes, Sacramento County Office of Education Trustee Mariana Corona Sabeniano and former state Sen. Dr. Richard Pan have taken a position, calling on Natomas Unified to cede to its union’s demands.
Krell, D-Sacramento, brought Twin Rivers Unified and its union to the table for three days of bargaining. She has also encouraged Natomas to meet the demands of its union.
Officials at both districts point to the fact that their current offers to their unions are in line with the recommendations of an independent fact finder and that ceding to union demands would mean major programming cuts for students. Several leaders have criticized CTA’s involvement in local bargaining, saying that their presence pushes politics instead of what’s right for their students.
Exerting pressure against politicians
CTA and local union chapters maintain that these districts can afford their respective demands in each district by spending down reserves, ending expensive third-party contracts and removing administrative bloat. In contrast, district leaders say that meeting union demands will lead to mass layoffs and cuts to district programs.
At the same time, state union leaders are open about their belief that California schools are underfunded and need more support from the state.
Members of the Natomas Teachers Association and Twin Rivers United Educators march across Tower Bridge in Sacramento on Thursday as a part of their strike against their respective districts. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com
“There is no district anywhere in the state that is getting what they deserve from the state’s funding system,” Goldberg said earlier this month. “It is a system that has gone out for decades and basically balanced budgets on the backs of our students and educators.”
Dr. Pan, a parent in Natomas in addition to being a state legislator for 12 years, said that he wants to see districts meaningfully address union’s demands surrounding staffing and turnover, but also acknowledged districts are in a bind due to their reliance on state funds.
“There’s this bigger picture that we’re dealing with: Too many families, including teachers, are struggling with the cost of living and the cost of health care,” he said.
To solve the problem, the state may need to get involved, he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has no role in local labor negotiations and his office declined to comment on the ongoing and potential future strikes throughout the state.
This year CTA is also making another big push — to pass a permanent extension to Proposition 55 via a ballot initiative. Prop. 55, set to expire in 2030, enacted a temporary tax increase on high earners to fund K-12 public schools and community colleges.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 3:29 PM.
The Sacramento Bee
Jennah Pendleton is an education reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered schools and culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. She grew up in Orange County and is a graduate of the University of Oregon.