Letters in Solidarity: 2025 Brings An Urgent Need for Solidarity

Wishing everyone a 2025 packed with joy and fulfillment for you and your students. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by the still unfolding wildfire disaster in Los Angeles. So many educator families and communities are facing terrible losses. During this difficult time, our union will come together to support one another. Please consider making a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund of our state union, CTA. This fund exists thanks to the generosity of CTA members who have made contributions to help colleagues in need.

Sadly, the incoming federal administration has politicized the wildfires and threatened to cut off support for disaster relief along with the rest of federal funding to California that represents a third of the state budget. This continues President-elect Trump’s push to retaliate against our state and our district for committing to support vulnerable students and families that will be targeted by the inhumane policies he has proposed.

As union educators, we must be prepared to defend our students, public education, and our rights against any attack whether at the local, state or national level. We solidified this commitment last month through the ratification of our We Can’t Wait contract campaign platform by an overwhelming 98% of the 4000+ SDEA members who voted in the election. The platform establishes three top priorities that will guide our bargaining and organizing in 2025: fully-staffed schools, improved educator pay and stability for our students and communities.

These three pillars of our platform are our statewide coordinated response to the crisis we are facing with the underfunding of public education in California and the uncertainty that accompanies the new federal administration. We teach in the wealthiest state in the country, yet we are failing to fully staff schools, pay educators wages that allow us to live in the communities we serve and secure resources and protections that all students need to thrive.

With the national and state political climates in mind, elected educator leaders from 180+ schools and programs from across the district voted at the January 2025 SDEA Representative Council to adopt the Ten Point Program to Support Our Students and Communities that will guide the development of bargaining proposals for our contract campaign. The Ten Point Program lays out our values around establishing welcoming, safe and nurturing schools where all students can focus on learning. We are ready as SDEA leaders to join our fellow union educators, families, students, staff and community organizations to generate the combined power needed to fight for and win the transformational priorities in the Ten Point Program and the rest of our platform. We Can’t Wait!