San Francisco Teachers Strike Raises Concerns About Potential Budget Cuts

SFUSD warns that meeting union demands could force deeper cuts, as seen in neighboring Contra Costa County.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The ongoing San Francisco teachers strike has the district warning that meeting the union's demands for higher wages and fully funded health care could force it to make deeper budget cuts, similar to what has happened in neighboring Contra Costa County. SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su says "every single time we increase on one side, we have to decrease on the other side," pointing to the West Contra Costa Unified School District's plans to slash 10% of its workforce and consider school mergers after granting raises and health care benefits to its teachers.

Why it matters

The standoff between SFUSD and its teachers union highlights the difficult financial constraints facing many school districts, where meeting employee demands can lead to painful cuts in other areas. This issue is not unique to San Francisco, as the situation in Contra Costa County demonstrates, and raises broader questions about how to balance the needs of teachers, students, and district budgets.

The details

SFUSD says it is facing dire fiscal constraints and that spending more on the teachers union contract could force the district to make deeper cuts than it already planned this spring. This is already playing out in Contra Costa County, where the West Contra Costa Unified School District laid out plans to slash 10% of its workforce and consider merging schools, blaming in part the cost of new contract agreements that included 8% raises over two years and a plan to fully fund health care benefits by 2028.

  • The San Francisco teachers strike is currently in its fourth day.
  • In December, educators in Contra Costa County went on a four-day strike and were granted similar contract demands as the SFUSD union is seeking.

The players

Maria Su

Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.

Cheryl Cotton

Superintendent of the West Contra Costa County Unified School District.

Jeff Carter

Associate Superintendent of Business Services for the West Contra Costa County Unified School District.

United Educators of San Francisco

The union representing teachers in the San Francisco Unified School District.

West Contra Costa County Unified School District

A school district in Contra Costa County, California that recently granted raises and health care benefits to its teachers, leading to budget cuts.

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What they’re saying

“Every single time we increase on one side, we have to decrease on the other side.”

— Maria Su, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District (kqed.org)

“The community has lifted up and said, 'We support our teachers. We want them to have everything that they want.' This is what this looks like.”

— Cheryl Cotton, Superintendent, West Contra Costa County Unified School District (kqed.org)

“There are choices that we have to make in order to meet the obligations that we are stepping into and agreeing to. My job is to come up with solutions to this deficit. The board is what makes the decisions.”

— Cheryl Cotton, Superintendent, West Contra Costa County Unified School District (kqed.org)

What’s next

The San Francisco Unified School District will need to finalize its budget plans for the upcoming school year, which could involve difficult decisions about where to make cuts if it agrees to the teachers union's demands.

The takeaway

This standoff between SFUSD and its teachers union highlights the broader challenge facing many school districts of balancing the needs of employees with the realities of limited budgets. The situation in Contra Costa County provides a cautionary tale, showing how meeting union demands can force painful cuts to staffing and programs, underscoring the difficult tradeoffs districts must navigate.