Bargaining Update - March 27, 2025

With an executive order threatening to dismantle the Department of Education, the fight for public education funding has never been more urgent. Any Federal cuts will hit programs like Special Education the hardest, where educators are already stretched beyond capacity. Now more than ever, we must secure a strong local contract and robust state funding to protect our schools and ensure students and educators receive the resources they need.

In our second bargaining session, SDEA members on the Bargaining Team focused on staffing and additional proposals ensuring stability for our schools and communities. Read more about our proposals below.

Our proposals from this session address critical staffing shortages while strengthening contractual protections to prevent overloading educators. Our students deserve more than the bare minimum! We need staffing that allows students and educators to thrive, not just survive.

Special Education Staffing:

The shortage of Special Education staff is a crisis impacting our whole community. SDEA members are still waiting on a fair grievance settlement for caseload violations in previous school years, but delayed annual settlements don’t solve the root issue of ongoing vacancies in Special Education that lead to unsustainable workloads and students not getting the support they need. Our proposed changes to Article 29: Special Education aim for more concrete solutions:

• Addressing the District’s inability to staff Special Education with a monthly stipend for educators over caseload, to ensure timely compensation.
• A monthly Case Management Day for Ed Specialists and protected time to complete necessary paperwork and communications.
• A pathway for educators to add a Special Education credential paid for by the District, to help fill vacancies (building off the initial agreement to offset retirements in this year’s Supplemental Early Retirement Program.)
• Increased allocation of School Psychologists, improved caseloads for Speech Language Pathologists, and caseload and IEP caps for Early Childhood Special Education classes to support our highest need students.

Transitional Kindergarten Staffing:

Many of the proposed changes regarding TK come from language agreed upon in 2021 with the establishment of TK classrooms staffed with Multiple Subject and Early Childhood Education co-teachers. The District has already announced that TK class sizes will be reduced from 24 to 20 students in the 2025-26 school year, which aligns with new state law. Our proposed contractual changes ensure that the District maintains the co-teaching model and appropriately staffs schools to support our youngest students during the entire school day. See all proposed changes in Article 8: Hours of Employment and Article 13: Class Size.

Additional staffing proposals:

• Protect educator prep time and prioritize shared decision-making to make sure educators have a voice in the decisions that impact their work. See all proposed changes to Article 8: Hours of Employment and the related Appendix H: Part-Time Certificated Assignments.

• Increase elementary prep and enrichment allocation in Appendix M.
• Limit combo classes and a new school-based Mental Health Counselor position to address growing student social-emotional and behavioral needs and ensure a full-time nurse at specialized schools. See all proposed changes to Article 13: Class Size.

• Expand job-sharing opportunities to retain educators in our district even when they cannot work full time. See all proposed changes to Article 21: Job Sharing.

• Prioritize staffing Summer School & Intersession by seniority, and ensure educators can use any available sick leave during summer school. See all changes to Article 17: Summer School/Intersession Hours & Conditions of Employment.

To expand on the proposals already submitted in February, we proposed changes to two additional articles which would ensure stability for our students and communities:

• Finally end the unnecessary chaos of Fall Transfers (or “Excessing”) using findings from the joint committee which has been working to minimize the disruption of Fall excessing. See all proposed changes to Article 12: Transfer Policies.
• Ensure community voices are centered in our Community Schools by empowering Community School Site Governance Teams and expanding culturally-sustaining and community-based curriculum. See all proposed changes to Article 36: Community Schools.

It’s time to pay educators!

At our first bargaining session, we proposed a combined 10% salary increase by 2026 including a retroactive 2% raise for the current school year that would help cushion the blow of San Diego experiencing the highest cost of living increase in the country. According to the District’s 2nd Interim Budget presentation, the District is projected to end the current fiscal year with at least $75 million in addition to the 2% required minimum reserve. It is clear that the District can afford an educator salary increase that will alleviate the growing staffing crisis and keep the highest quality educators in our schools. Now is the Time for district leadership to settle the raise for this year and get our students the support that they deserve!

Make sure the District knows: We Can’t Wait!

With the majority of our proposals on the table, it’s time to turn up the pressure. Rolling pickets at schools across the city starting Monday, April 28 will show the District that we mean business as they consider how to respond to our demands. The more members, families and community allies that show up, the stronger our message: It’s time for the District to prioritize resources for our schools and for our students! We Can’t Wait! Make sure to attend your next union meeting to stay informed, stay engaged, and get ready to take action together!

During bargaining, the walls were covered with petitions signed last month, to remind the District of the people power beyond the faces they see at the bargaining table.

Stay Informed:

Our next bargaining session is scheduled for April 24, 2025. See an updated list of all articles we will be negotiating this year and our bargaining proposal tracker to keep track of ongoing negotiations.

In Solidarity,

SDEA’s Bargaining Team

Kyle Weinberg, SDEA President, Laurie Bailon, Restorative Justice Teacher, Bell MS; Carly Bresee, Ed. Specialist: Moderate/Severe, Perkins K-8, Sarah Darr, SDEA Secretary, WCW Campaign Organizer & Senior SLP; Christina Gallegos, ECSE Teacher, Rodriguez ES; Candace Gyure, School Nurse; Stacy Hernandez, SDEA Bargaining Chair & 2nd Grade Teacher, Dailard El.; Andrew Melia, School Psychologist, Riley School; Elizabeth Miller, Ed. Specialist: Mild/Moderate, Lewis MS; Eri Nall, Head Counselor; Kiki Ochoa, History and Ethnic Studies Lead Teacher, Lincoln HS; Lori Schmersal, PE Teacher & Coach, Clairemont HS; plus SDEA staff Anthony Saavedra, Executive Director, and Sara Holerud, Organizer