Teachers, district reach tentative pact

San Francisco Unified School District reached a tentative contract agreement with its teachers union Saturday, days before the union was scheduled to vote on whether to allow a strike.

The deal grants teachers an 11 percent raise over three years — a “financial stretch” for the district as its revenue dwindles and expenses grow, but doable “as long as we’re willing to make other sacrifices and work together to find additional revenue,” Superintendent Vincent Matthews said in a statement.

In addition to the salary bump, the district offered several other concessions that increased the teachers’ overall compensation by 16 percent.

Lita Blanc, president of the United Educators of San Francisco — the union that represents teachers and other school workers — praised the agreement, which came just as talks were heating up.

A strike authorization vote had been scheduled for Wednesday. “We believe we were able to reach this agreement because thousands of dedicated educators have let the district know how much their students mean to them, and how increased compensation and improved teaching conditions will help keep us in San Francisco, doing the work we love,” Blanc said in a statement.

Blanc said the negotiations had also led to “clearer protocols around school safety” and will establish new uniondistrict committees in which parents can participate.

The teachers’ last contract, signed in December 2014 after months of wrangling, gave teachers and aides more than a 12 percent raise over its three-year term. That brought San Francisco’s most experienced teachers above the $92,000 annual salary mark.