Shortly after midnight on March 19, after 15+ hours of bargaining, SDEA won agreement on a hard cap of 20 for all current Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers and Resource Specialists. This hard cap will be in effect in the fall of 2020, with caseload reductions to begin immediately in the fall of 2019. If this agreement is ratified, we will have one of the best caseload caps and the strongest SPED contract language in the state of California.
This tentative agreement is a direct result of the powerful organizing that SDEA members have engaged in around special education understaffing this year!
New Caseload Cap of 20
The implementation of the hard cap of 20 will be staggered.
Effective fall 2019, the following caseload protections will be in effect:
- The District will be required to hire 26 more Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers, above and beyond current staffing levels, for next year.
- There will be one job title of Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teacher for all current Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers and Resource Specialists.
- All Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers will have a caseload of 20.
- The District will allocate Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers to sites at a 20:1 ratio for the 2019-20 school year.
- During the 2019-20 school year, if a caseload increases to 21 or 22 students, the affected teacher will receive a stipend of $324 per month unless and until the caseload is reduced to 20.
- Caseload overages of 23 or more students will trigger an automatic staffing allocation increase. Failure to fill the new vacancy will be subject to the grievance procedure.
- Any current Resource Specialist who could be adversely affected by the elimination of the Resource Specialist job classification will be fully protected from loss of employment.
Effective fall 2020, the hard cap of 20 will be in effect as follows:
- All Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers will have a hard cap caseload of 20.
- Caseload overages of 21 or more students will trigger an automatic staffing allocation increase. Failure to fill the new vacancy will be subject to the grievance procedure.
New Workload Protections
Additionally, the following new rights around assessments and staffing assignments will be in place effective in the fall of 2019:
- A cap on new initial or PPPSS assessments for Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers who are at full caseload, with additional staffing support, release time or hourly pay after the fourth initial/PPPSS assessment.
- Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers shall be assigned to no more than three schools.
Caseload Grievance Settlement
Tonight’s agreement also includes settlement of all pending caseload overage grievances as follows:
- A one-time stipend of $1,500 to any Resource Specialist, Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teacher or Education Specialist: Moderate/Severe teacher with a caseload overage during the 2018-19 school year.
- Affected members will have the opportunity to furnish proof of eligibility for the stipend until June 30, 2019.
- For the remainder of this year, the District will continue to increase and work to fill allocations for special educators whose caseloads exceed the current caseload limits.
- The District will pay a $1,000 stipend to any member currently on a temporary contract or in layoff status who is willing to become credentialed to teach in a hard-to-staff special education credential area.
- As a result of this settlement, the scheduled class action caseload grievance meeting for Tuesday, March 19 at 3:30 p.m. is CANCELED.
These new rights will greatly improve special educators’ working lives, and more importantly, our students’ learning conditions. Yet we all know that there are still important issues for us to solve together to improve special education service in our District beyond what can be addressed at the bargaining table. That’s why the accountability forum with Cindy Marten is still set for 4:00 p.m. on March 20 at the SDEA office (10393 San Diego Mission Rd.). Click HERE to RSVP for the Supt. Marten forum.
Informational meetings about this tentative agreement will be scheduled shortly. The tentative agreement will become effective once our entire reopener bargaining process is done. SDEA will continue reopener bargaining with the District on Wages and Safety for the remainder of this school year. SDEA’s bargaining team will fight to have a full tentative agreement on all three for ratification by June. In the meantime, the District will move forward with implementing the agreed-upon staffing improvements for the 2019-20 school year, and will allocate staff to schools accordingly.
Together we are stronger!
