The District continues to violate our contract by understaffing Special Education, creating a ripple effect felt across the entire district: Students struggle without the support they need, educators burn out, classroom environments become less safe, and whole school communities are destabilized. We’ve tried everything to respond to the crisis: Years of filing grievances, proposing improved contract language, rallying at Board meetings, organizing with families and colleagues, and even bargaining a free credentialing pathway to fill SpEd vacancies. After gradually escalating our actions over the past year, SDEA members are now voting on whether to address Special Education staffing with our ultimate collective power as a union: A strike!
SDEA members are voting on whether to authorize a one-day strike over Special Education Staffing.
Voting is happening at union meetings across the District from November 6 through December 16, at school sites and at the SDEA union hall for members not assigned to a specific site. All SDEA members have the opportunity to vote on whether to authorize the SDEA Board to call a 1-day strike in February if the District continues to violate our union contract related to Special Education understaffing.
Your union meeting is an opportunity to learn more about this potential strike, ask questions, discuss with your colleagues, and VOTE!
Not sure who your union rep is? Reach out to the SDEA office!
(Click here to see a strike vote flyer with Frequently Asked Questions.)
At November’s Rep Council, SDEA Reps voted unanimously to recommend a YES vote!
Why are YOU voting Yes?
We haven’t faced a possible strike in our district in decades, so it’s natural to have questions and uncertainty! If you are voting YES to authorize a strike over Special Education staffing, can you share your reasons why? Sharing these reasons with fellow members and the wider community can help emphasize the urgency of what so many of our educators, students, and school communities are feeling!
Want to share your voice?
- Post directly on social media, tag SDEA, and use the hashtag #WeCantWaitCA to amplify our voices
- Or, share your reasons through this form to be included in SDEA communications!
- Interested in other opportunities to share your voice? Reach out to kennedy_s@sdea.net!
