San Francisco has managed to avert a strike of its public school principals after a negotiation that went longer and later than Monday’s marathon Game 3 of the World Series.
In a deal reached in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the San Francisco Unified School District agreed to give every member of the United Administrators of San Francisco a $7,500 pay bump and a 2% raise for the next three years. The raises apply retroactively to July.
As part of the contract terms, administrators will also get a raise each time the teachers union or other district unions (like those representing janitors or engineers) receive one.
The teachers union had threatened to strike over contentious labor negotiations, which are continuing with monthly bargaining sessions.
The new contract comes after months of outcry from principals about low pay and exhausting work. Administrators, who did not receive a raise commensurate with the teachers’ raise last year, have been saddled with new responsibilities following layoffs and reduced hours for other district staff.
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But the deal will likely require a budget tradeoff. Fiscal advisers from the California Department of Education have been reminding the district that any expenditure increase needs to be offset by an expenditure reduction since state oversight began. In plain language: Raises for principals mean cuts elsewhere.
UASF President Anastasia “Anna” Klafter said she’s hopeful that those cuts won’t hurt students.
“We hope principals and other leaders can be part of the conversation around budgeting and [Superintendent Maria Su] keeps her promise to keep cuts away from schools,” Klafter said. “We reject the binary thinking that says either we get our raise or schools lose money. We know there’s another way forward.”
She suggested that the district look at its contracts with outside vendors. SFUSD spent more than $226 million on contractor services last year, according to public documents (opens in new tab).
“We know some cuts are coming,” she added.
A Department of Education spokesperson confirmed that the advisers “provided parameters in support of the fiscal solvency of SFUSD, as the advisers have since the start of state oversight.” She stressed that advisers did not introduce specific language into the agreement.
An SFUSD principal who asked to remain anonymous expressed cautious optimism about the agreement but said it isn’t a panacea.
“It’s nice we’re going to be compensated, but that doesn’t really address some of the other pieces,” the principal said. “Excessive workload and lack of support are bound to get worse next year, because there are upcoming cuts.”
Meredith W. Dodson, executive director of the San Francisco Parent Coalition, said she’s glad the district and administrators reached a tentative agreement, but there’s uncertainty among parents around where cuts will be made to fund the pay increases.
“What do you value, arts and sciences or social workers?” Dodson said. “We’ll see.”
An SFUSD spokesperson did not confirm details of the contract or any planned cuts.
Phil Kim, president of the Board of Education, said the agreement was reached a little past midnight and the board would be briefed about it ahead of Tuesday’s meeting. Both the union and the school board need to approve the contract.
“This marks a significant milestone we should be proud of,” Kim said. “Administrators are critical to the success of our schools.”
Klafter said if all goes well, raises for administrators should take effect in December or January. What happens between now and then is anyone’s guess.
“This is my first rodeo,” Klafter said.
The district will host a series of budget town halls starting Thursday and running to Nov. 8. Parents can RSVP for the sessions here (opens in new tab).