SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) — After a three-night “sleep-in” inside San Francisco Unified School District offices, teachers demanding pay from the district said they reached an agreement with the district late Thursday.

On Monday, more than a dozen SFUSD educators began the sleep-in, calling for the district to pay more than 1,000 teachers and other staff members who have gone unpaid or only received partial paychecks since January.

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The educators have said because of the payment issue, they’ve been unable to pay rent, mortgages, medical bills, and other necessities.

District officials have said that while the majority of its more than 10,000 employees have been paid correctly, a portion of educators went unpaid due to a technical error attributed to the district switching to a new payroll system, replacing an older system that had been in place for the last 17 years.

Under the agreement, the district will pay all educators owed money, as well as interest for the late payments.

Additionally, the district has promised to address any payroll errors moving forward within 72 hours. Also, the district will reimburse the affected educators for any late fees and penalties incurred.

“This occupation was the result of months and months of trying to negotiate with the district and trying to ask that folks get paid what they’re due,” said teacher and United Educators of San Francisco member Frank Lara said during a Thursday evening rally outside the district offices.

“It’s been exhausting for all of us,” he said.

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“I cannot thank enough the families and the community partners who’ve come out and offered us their food, their support,” UESF president Cassondra Curiel said. “Your help and support got management to make moves and we know we’re on the same page. Now there will be less stress and people will be paid for the jobs that they’re doing.”

“We remain committed to ensuring every staff member receives all of the pay they are owed,” SFUSD Superintendent Vincent Matthews said in a statement. “I want to again extend my deepest apologies to every employee who has been impacted in any way as a result of our transition to a new payroll system.”

According to the district, the new agreement also ensures that all employees will be able to input COVID-19 sick leave, including any sick leave that COVID-19-related that has already been taken. Additionally, the district is also offering 10 additional COVID-19 sick days of leave for employees.

UESF officials are expected to hold a rally to celebrate the agreement on Friday at 5 pm at the SFUSD parking lot, located at 555 Franklin St.

The payment issues come as the district is dealing with other financial woes — a $125 projected budget shortfall — and considering laying off hundreds of teachers and other staff to balance the budget.

Also, on Friday, district officials announced enrollment preparations for the upcoming school year. So far, 14,127 families have submitted enrollment applications, slightly up from last school year when 13,917 families submitted applications.

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Posted: 09/24/2021 / 02:37 PM CDT
/ Updated: 9/24/2021 / 2:37 p.m. CDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Tall trees are revered across California, but a towering Monterey pine at the center of a heated argument in San Francisco’s wealthiest neighborhood is due to go, according to an appeals court ruling this week.

A state appeals court on Wednesday ordered a couple in the Pacific Heights neighborhood to remove the tree, which is at least 10 meters tall. A neighbor argued the tree blocked her view of San Francisco Bay and other city landmarks, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The neighbor is an 81-year-old woman who moved into the San Francisco home with her late husband in 1976. When the couple “saw the magnificent views, they were sold,” said Barri Bonapart, the woman’s attorney.

“You could see all the way from Marin Headlands to the Pacific Ocean and then the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts, Sausalito, Belvedere, Tiburon and Angel Island,” said Bonaparte. She said her client asked to withhold her name because she feared harassment.

The pine was planted by a previous resident in 1999 and by the time the case went to court in 2019 had grown dozens of feet tall with widening, dense branches. The lawsuit was filed in 2018 after the mediation failed.

The woman “tried everything to work with her neighbors to find a common solution,” said Bonapart. “Unfortunately, they have always been adamant that they would never agree to restore their views unless told to do so.”

Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ross visited the site before issuing a ruling to remove the jaws in December 2019, citing a San Francisco ordinance aimed at resolving treetop feuds. He decided that “the tree’s rapid growth in height and width blocked the view of landmarks and vistas that could once be seen”.

The first district appeals court upheld Ross’ order, ruling Wednesday that the only viable solution in the case was to remove the tree.

The pruning might have worked when the jaw was smaller, but it has now grown too much to thin or top it to restore the prospect, Judge Ioanna Petrou said in the 3-0 decision. She cited the statement by arborists that the tree provides little shade or privacy to homeowners and could be cut down without disturbing the ground. Under the ordinance, both households would split the cost of the removal, which an arborist estimated at $ 1,800.

The exclusive neighborhood of Pacific Heights, famous for its expensive mansions and breathtaking views, is no stranger to tree disputes.

Larry Ellison, the billionaire chief executive officer of Oracle Corp., sued a downhill neighbor in 2011 for the removal of three sequoia trees and an 80-year-old acacia that was blocking his view of the bay. The lawsuit was settled with an agreement to prune the trees.

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