Summer School 2021 Grievance Settlement
In Fall 2021, a unionwide grievance was filed regarding the hours members were required to work summer school in 2021. During Summer School 2021, most educators at elementary schools who participated in the summer school program were required to work an instructional day longer (by 20 minutes each day!) than what Schedule A (Appendix E, Section 2.01) allows.
A grievance settlement agreement was recently reached with SDUSD that will provide compensation to impacted SDEA unit members who worked at one of 43 elementary school sites during the 2021 summer.
Check out this Contract Win! Summer School 2021 Pay Agreement flyer to see if you're eligible. If there is a discrepancy in your case, the flyer includes a notification form that must be filled out no later than Friday, May 12, 2023.
Join the Fight for a Fair Contract - Come to an Accountability Session with SDUSD Board Members!
Sign up now! SDEA School Board Accountability Sessions Apr. 18 & 19
Before Spring Break, SDEA members lit up the city with pickets for a contract at 141 schools! The pickets show that we are organized, powerful, and have community support. And THAT is exactly what the District needs to see in order to settle a good contract with SDEA members!
After pickets were announced -- before the pickets even happened -- the District finally moved on issues they'd been ignoring for months. Then after they saw 141 schools and 4800 SDEA members picketing, we got even more results at the bargaining table!
But we still don't have a contract. We’re far apart on a number of important issues, not least of all pay:
- SDEA - 19.25% over 2 years
- SDUSD - 9% over 2 years
Turning up the pressure is getting us results, but we need more. That means we need to turn up the heat to win all that we want -- not turn it off. We need to push for a contract now! Now SDEA members are calling for School Board Accountability Sessions!
SDEA Scholarships
SDEA annually offers scholarships for members and members’ dependents. The Dependent Application is for graduating seniors and current college-enrolled students, who are dependents of a current SDEA member. The Member Application is for current SDEA members who wish to further their education.
2023 SDEA Spring Elections Now Open! Your Voice Matters!
As you can see in all the pickets throughout the district, members are the critical piece of everything our collective union does. As a member-run democratic organization members like YOU can be involved by running and voting on which fellow educators/members lead our union as an: SDEA Board of Director, CTA State Council Delegate, or NEA-RA Representative.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS and it is key in the selection of our SDEA Leadership! Check your personal email now for an easy-to-use voting link from the San Diego Education Association and vote. The 2023 SDEA Spring Election will close on Friday, March 24th at 5 p.m. To confirm or update your personal email address, or if you have questions, please contact the SDEA Elections Committee at sdeaelections@sdea.net. Only members are eligible to vote. You can become a voting member by completing this membership form.
North Island Credit Union Student Scholarship
The North Island CU Annual Scholarship program is now available! The credit union will award 10 students with a scholarship of $1,000 each. High school seniors and community college students transferring to a four-year university who maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 are eligible to participate. Selection criteria include academic performance, school or community involvement, a letter of recommendation, and an essay submission. Applications are available through Friday, March 10, 2023 and winners will be announced on the North Island CU website Monday, April 3, 2023. Interested students can find more information and apply at northisland.ccu.com/studentscholarship.
Changes Coming to The Advocate...
Watch this space for the new way we will provide you the articles from the Advocate!
National School Counseling Week
Let’s celebrate our school counselors who provide students with invaluable academic, career, social, and emotional development each day. We're grateful for the work our school counselor colleagues do to help all our students learn
National Board Candidate Support Sessions
Are you a candidate for National Board Certification and you could use some support with the process? SDEA members will be coming together for guided NBCT candidate support sessions for members working on National Board Certification. These sessions are an opportunity for candidates to bring their written work, component directions, ask questions and receive feedback. Sessions are open to union members only. If you're not a member, you can join here Choose one (1) session and register NOW!
February 16th from 4 - 6 p.m. – Register Here
March 2nd from 4 - 6 p.m. – Register Here
March 30th from 4 - 6 p.m. – Register Here
April 20th from 4 - 6 p.m. – Register Here
May 4th from 4 - 6 p.m. – Register Here
Questions can be directed to Stacy Begin (CTA Staff) NBCT: sbegin@cta.org
Calm app available for all CTA members and dependents
Have you heard the exciting news? The Calm mobile app is now available to all CTA members (active and retired) and dependents, at no cost.
We are all facing challenges that can lead to stress and even burnout. The Calm App is a tool to improve our mental health and well-being. Whether you have 30 seconds or 30 minutes every day, Calm’s resources are designed to seamlessly integrate with your schedule and needs. Your Calm subscription gives you unlimited access to their full library of resources at calm.com and in the Calm app including:
- Calm’s Masterclasses taught by world-renowned experts
- Guided breathing exercises such as the Breathe Bubble
- Music tracks designed to promote focus, relaxation, and sleep
- 100+ guided meditations that cover anxiety, stress, gratitude, and much more
- Brand new daily meditations and movement sessions as part of their Dailies series
- The entire library of Sleep Stories which contains soothing bedtime tales for all ages (new stories added every week!)
As a CTA Member, you can activate your FREE Calm subscription by:
- Logging into www.CTAMemberBenefits.org/calm
- Follow the instructions - you will need your 10-digit CTA Individual member ID 0007993294 (this is on your monthly Educator magazine mailing label, add zeros in front if your ID number is less than 10 digits)
- Download the Calm app and log into your new account. It’s that easy!
IFT Grant Program: Applications Now Open
CTA's Institute for Teaching grant program has transformed classrooms, schools and school communities. All members are eligible to apply for an Educator grant (up to $5,000) or an Impact grant (up to $20,000) which can be used to engage members and support strength-based, teacher-driven creativity, passion and innovation. Read more at cta.org/ift. Applications accepted through March 31, 2023.