(BCN) -- More than 1,000 San Francisco Unified School District teachers, parents, and students rallied Tuesday at Mission Dolores Park on the second day of a teachers' strike amid ongoing contract negotiations with the district. "We want fully staffed schools!" attendees of the rally yelled as they filled the park holding signs, chanting, and banging drums. After 11 months of bargaining attempts between SFUSD and the United Educators of San Francisco union for a contract, teachers resorted to going on strike Monday as SFUSD did not make offers that UESF would accept. The strike has forced school closures for SFUSD's roughly 50,000 students and marks the first teacher walkout in 47 years. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff reportedly jokes about ICE at company event in Vegas "We stayed late last night, and we'll stay late again tonight for the agreement we deserve," said UESF vice president of substitutes Nathalie Hrizi in a speech. After talks concluded Monday, some progress was made as both parties made agreements on regulating artificial intelligence, reducing the district's reliance on contractors for special education, and continuing to support unhoused SFUSD families through its Stay Over Program that provides temporary shelter. "We had a productive day with the district yesterday," Hrizi said. "We are going to do it again today." But SFUSD and UESF have not come to resolutions on their most significant disagreements regarding teacher salaries, health care and staffing in special education programs. UESF is demanding an 8% salary increase for teachers, while SFUSD has proposed a 6% increase over 2 years. Additionally, UESF wants health care plans for teachers to include coverage for dependents. SFUSD originally offered health benefits of up to $24,000 a year. At the rally, Hrizi announced that SFUSD had moved from its last offer of covering 75% of health care premiums up to 80%. On Tuesday morning, Superintendent Maria Su discussed the progress and said that a structural deficit has inhibited the district's ability to meet the union's demands. "We have a few remaining articles that we need to close today -- health care, salaries and special education work," Su said in a briefing. "We have very real and very serious fiscal constraints. We have to work hard to put forward creative, responsible solutions at the table." SFUSD has said that it is facing a projected $100 million deficit next year, limiting the district's ability to take on more costs. However, union leaders say the district has enough money. SF Propel, a progressive policy organization, conducted an analysis of SFUSD's budget and found that it has a $429 reserve fund that can be tapped into. "I think we can all agree that San Francisco students and schools deserve the highest levels of investment to ensure their success," said Maggie Furey, an SFUSD social worker and author of SF Propel's report, in a statement. While the parties have not been able to reach a consensus on all aspects of the union's demands, UESF thinks that the decision to strike and effectively shut down schools has put pressure on SFUSD to move toward a full agreement. "The bargaining team wishes it could be with you here today," Hrizi said. "They know that every ounce of leverage they have today is because you're here and because you're committed." Both parties said they are prepared to negotiate into the late hours of the night Tuesday to continue moving toward an agreement. "I want the strike to end," Su said. "We are working around the clock to come to an agreement that honors our educators and again, that is fiscally responsible." Day care services and meal access at San Francisco Recreation and Park centers remained open Tuesday for hundreds of priority students and families. Su said that SFUSD will later announce whether the support from the city will continue into Wednesday if the parties do not reach a full agreement. Erica Gangsei, an SFUSD parent with a 6-year-old daughter who attends Glen Park School, said that her child was able to get day care on Tuesday since the nonprofit that runs the program through the school decided to provide off-site care for about 80 of its students. "We're fully in support of the teachers, and we understand that they're striking for our students," Gangsei said in an interview. "Even though it obviously requires a lot of adaptation, we're happy to do it because we completely understand how necessary it is." SFUSD published a list of resources for families to navigate the strike. Copyright © 2026 Bay City News, Inc. ...read more read less