Last month, we launched the Schools and Communities First signature gathering at Rep Council. The Schools and Communities First ballot initiative is projected to bring $12 billion to our schools and communities every year. Because we know that increased state funding is vital to creating the schools our students deserve, signature gathering is an important part of our bargaining plan this year.
What does this initiative have to do with bargaining our contract? As we shared earlier this year, SDEA’s three priorities are to bargain a fair contract, elect pro-public education school board trustees, and ensure that Schools and Communities First is adopted in November. These three priorities are intertwined.
Our bargaining demands include increasing the number of nurses and counselors, adequately staffing special education, and lowering elementary class size. These demands all have an impact on the District’s budget.
The school board trustees set the parameters for the District bargaining team. Our bargaining demands include supports for our most vulnerable students, lower elementary class size, and respect for educators and our contract. We must work to elect school board trustees that share the same values and priorities for our schools.
For these reasons, all three priorities must be driven out of our bargaining campaign. Every action we undertake this year will be directly related to our bargaining platform.
The most urgent work before us is our signature gathering goal of 3,700 signatures by March 12. With almost 6,500 members, this is a reasonable goal. However, we can’t just rely on members to sign on. We must also reach out to fellow staff members and parents in our school communities.
Beyond our schools, we must also spread the word with our own families, friends, and community connections. If you haven’t signed the petition yet, talk to your AR, CR, or CAT members. If you have signed it, great! Now, get your friends and family to sign on also.
We have a lot of work ahead of us if we are going to create the schools and communities our students deserve. But, we most certainly can do it! Together We Are Stronger!
