SFUSD to issue layoff notices weeks after $183 million deal to end teachers strike

The pink slips, which must be issued by March 15, give teachers advance warning they could lose their positions at the end of the school year.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The San Francisco Unified School District will ask the school board to approve preliminary layoff notices for 42 educators and other staff, just weeks after reaching a $183 million agreement to end a historic teachers strike. The layoff notices will affect art teachers, music teachers, counselors, and instructional aides, including several in language programs. District officials say the layoffs are due to declining enrollment and the need to align staffing with revenue.

Why it matters

The layoff notices come as a surprise after the district reached a costly agreement to end the teachers strike, which included significant pay raises and expanded health care coverage. The layoffs highlight the district's ongoing financial challenges, including a projected deficit even after previous budget cuts, and the need to balance staffing with declining enrollment.

The details

The number of layoff notices, 42, is a significant decrease from a year earlier when 298 layoff notices were sent out. District officials say this is due to the use of 111 temporary teachers under contract and better data systems to track vacancies and staffing needs. The district is also anticipating attrition and retirements to address any additional cuts to positions. Administrative layoff notices will come later.

  • The pink slips, which, by law, must be issued by March 15 each year, give the teachers advance warning that they could lose their positions at the end of the school year.
  • Another round of layoff notices will go out in May to confirm the action.

The players

Maria Su

Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.

United Educators of San Francisco

The teachers union that reached the $183 million agreement with the district to end the strike.

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What they’re saying

“I know receiving a preliminary layoff notice is unsettling and difficult for our staff. To build a stronger and more sustainable public school system for our students, we are working to align staffing with enrollment and revenue through disciplined planning and stronger operations. I'm confident we are moving toward long-term fiscal stability but it will take continued work and focus.”

— Maria Su, Superintendent (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

The district plans to dip into an emergency fund to help pay for the raises and health care in the agreement, including the equivalent of a 6% raise for teachers over two years and a 10% raise for paraeducators, or teachers aides, as well as security aides, with other increases for certain positions. The district will also provide full family health care coverage for the nearly 6,000 members of the union at a cost of more than $40 million the first year, with significant increases expected in subsequent years.

The takeaway

The layoff notices, coming just weeks after the costly agreement to end the teachers strike, highlight the ongoing financial challenges facing the San Francisco Unified School District. The district must balance staffing with declining enrollment and revenue, while also implementing the new contract terms that include significant pay raises and expanded health care coverage for teachers.