Sara Holerud

Letters in Solidarity: When We Fight, We Win!

We just witnessed another example of the collective power of SDEA union educators joining SDUSD families and community allies to advocate for the schools our students deserve. Earlier this year, the San Diego Unified School Board trustees voted unanimously to lay off educators. The response from SDEA members was swift and clear. We know an injury to one is an injury to all and we demonstrated that by standing alongside our newest educators. 

Here’s how we responded:

• In March, we put up signs AGAINST layoffs and FOR our SDEA plan for strong schools on the doors of classrooms throughout the district.
• Right before Spring Break, hundreds of SDEA union educators, students, families and labor and community allies rallied at the school board meeting.
• In April, we passed out thousands of flyers to parents asking them to contact board members and demand that layoffs be rescinded.
• In May, we participated in site-based accountability sessions with laid off educators and school board members at Doyle, Linda Vista, Nipaquay and Oak Park elementary schools.

Every action we took in response to the unnecessary layoffs showed solidarity. SDUSD leadership once again saw that we won’t tolerate cuts to those who work closest with students. This was the organizing that moved the Superintendent and School Board to rescind the overwhelming majority of remaining layoff notices.

In addition to the significant layoff victory, last week the SDEA Bargaining Team reached an agreement with the District on limiting fall excessing for next school year. We all have experienced the destabilizing impact of fall excessing on our schools as teachers are moved involuntarily and our connections with students are broken. Our agreement requires that SDUSD plan ahead to staff schools instead of scrambling to move educators throughout the district two months into the school year.

These improvements to transfers would not have been possible without the tireless work of SDEA union educators, SDUSD families and community allies who came together to demand more stable schools. Please let families at your school know just how important their support was to get the District to agree to rescind layoff notices and limit fall excessing. When we have solidarity, we have power. Let’s use our power to protect our students, educators and schools!

by Sara Holerud

Roosevelt Students Rise Up

In a powerful display of solidarity and activism, students at Roosevelt International Middle School organized to support teachers at their site facing layoffs. These young advocates mobilized their community by coordinating and leading a lively march from their school to the SDEA rally at the San Diego Unified School District's board meeting on March 26th. They created a powerful presence by leading chants and waving eye-catching picket signs. 

Organizing is a key component for students at Roosevelt International Middle School. Through their International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, students develop community projects in which they explore their right and responsibility to participate in service as action in the community.  

English teacher Leah Lavelle, who guides her students through these projects, speaks to their passion and drive. “These kids know how to organize and they care deeply about what is going on in the world.” Once students became aware of the impending layoffs affecting two of their beloved teachers, they sprang into action. 

Students immediately began raising awareness around the district’s failure to prioritize educators in the budget. Under the leadership of students like Samuel Pardo Improta, Ivan Reyes, and Sophia Baksh Soldano, the call to support their teachers and educators across the district spread quickly.  

“Thanks to Ms. Lavelle, and our site representative Katie O'Malley, the student's anger was able to be channeled into something productive,” reflects Luis Salas, a math teacher at Roosevelt directly impacted by the layoffs. Students started creating petitions, raising awareness on social media, making posters, and organizing the one-mile march from Roosevelt to the district board meeting.

One key student leader, Samuel, delivered an impassioned speech at the rally, criticizing the flawed decision-making of the school board. Samuel, also a member of the Chavista Cesar Chavez Service Club, used his connections to hold Board Trustee Richard Barrera accountable and seized opportunities like the school’s renovation groundbreaking ceremony to engage superintendent Lamont Jackson. 

Student activist Ivan initially aimed to alleviate teacher stress but expanded his efforts to  rally the community against layoffs, recognizing the ongoing lack of dignity and respect educators face. Sophia, a natural leader on campus, leveraged her ASB connections and leadership skills to involve more students and families, ensuring a strong turnout and unified front.

The students’ march stretched for blocks, gathering supportive community members along the way. Their arrival to the district office lawn was spectacular as they chanted loudly for the preservation of their teachers' jobs and the stability of their schools. Their message was clear: the community stands united in support of their teachers, and they will continue to advocate for their rights and dignity. 

SDEA members are more than just educators; they are mentors, confidantes, and pillars of the community. The degrading experience of receiving a layoff notice threatens not only professional lives but also personal well-being and stability. The response from the students at Roosevelt Middle School has been nothing short of inspiring. Samuel’s advocacy, Ivan's dedication, Sophia's leadership, and the extraordinary turnout of students, families, and community members demonstrated a profound understanding of the importance of standing up for our schools.

by Sara Holerud

Teachers of the Year 2023-2024

Join us in congratulating this year's SDUSD's Teachers of the Year
for Elementary, Middle and High Schools.

For information and videos about these teachers, visit the SDUSD site (Click Here)

by Sara Holerud

Supports for Our Students to Weather the Housing Crisis

Coming on the heels of the organizing by SDEA union educators and community allies that moved the Superintendent and School Board to rescind the overwhelming majority of remaining layoff notices, we turn our focus once again to our Reopener Contract Bargaining, specifically winning supports for our housing-insecure students and their families.

As educators in SDUSD, we serve the highest need student population in the county. Poverty rates in San Diego are higher than the county average and more than 8,000 SDUSD students are experiencing homelessness. The flooding from the storm in January has exacerbated the housing crisis as SDUSD families have been displaced from their homes and are still living in hotels, impacting our students’ ability to focus on academics when basic needs are not being met.

San Diego is one of the most expensive cities in the country and the average monthly rent for a two bedroom home in San Diego is $3,200 a month. According to the University of Washington’s Self-Sufficiency Standard, a family of four in San Diego County would need to make almost $100,000 to be above the poverty line and afford the average rental. 

With most of the students in the district meeting the threshold for free and reduced-price meals, the income of our students’ families is not sufficient to continue living within our district. 57% of those who live within the boundaries of SDUSD are renters and 81% of extremely low-income households in the county are spending more than ½ of their income on rent.

Our union has a responsibility to use our collective power to campaign for solutions to address the needs of our most vulnerable students and their families in addition to our advocacy for strong schools and educator rights. We are joining together with SDUSD families and community organizations to demand and win housing supports through our bargaining and organizing.

Our SDEA Housing Supports proposal would require that the District make at least one safe parking site available for unhoused students and their families, make school space available for organizations providing housing assistance and expand outreach to connect those facing housing insecurity to programs and services. We are close to an agreement with the District and the combined efforts of SDEA union educators and community allies will get us to the finish line.

by Sara Holerud

SDEA 2024 Scholarship Recipients

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.

Meet this year's scholarship recipients.

If you are interested in an SDEA scholarship in future years, find out more information here on how to apply.

by Sara Holerud

Letters in Solidarity: NO Layoffs! Rescind NOW!

On March 5th, school board trustees unanimously voted to lay off 226 SDEA members. This decision was made without regard for the schools that they represent.. Schools are not buildings. They are communities and teachers are the community leaders. Taking away community leaders threatens the entire community. The ripple effects of this unnecessary decision are huge.

These educators are indispensable to their students, coworkers, schools, and communities. Educators know that students deserve a safe and stable learning environment. We work to create that space for our students everyday. We look to the District and school board to help us support our students and families. But instead of support, we are being attacked.

The effects don’t stop there. The callously laid off members are also part of their own families and communities. The threat of layoffs in San Diego, one of the most unaffordable cities in our country, forces these educators to reconsider working in our district. Loss of income and benefits compels our members to seek employment elsewhere. We need educators, yet SDUSD is forcing them out.

The district has the money to rescind all layoffs. We have shown how the district can fix their budget planning mistakes without decimating schools. SDUSD has a $380 million surplus in restricted and unrestricted budgets. There is a $14 million surplus in salary expenses because of vacancies. There is a rainy day fund with $67 million. It’s time for SDUSD to check the weather, because it’s raining. If they don’t act now and rescind all layoffs, there’s going to be a flood.

We are not FTEs on a budget line item. We are the leaders of our communities. We are SDEA.

We will not stop fighting until all pink slips have been rescinded!

by Sara Holerud

Standing Strong: Fighting Layoffs and Safeguarding Our Future

The recent announcement of layoffs by the district has sparked outrage among us, and rightfully so. We refuse to accept these layoffs as inevitable, especially when the true financial state of SDUSD reveals a different reality.

Let’s address the facts: the district currently holds significant financial resources that could easily avert the looming layoffs. With $67.6 million in unspent unrestricted funds and over $315 million in restricted funds, primarily sourced from federal COVID relief intended to support educators and student recovery, there is no justification for sacrificing the jobs of our educators. These funds must be utilized for their intended purpose – to benefit our students by employing these educators currently facing layoffs.

Moreover, the argument of a district budget deficit loses credibility when we consider that the district is simultaneously underspending on teacher salaries due to vacancies—to the tune of about $14 million according to the district’s own finance people. In fact, the amount saved from these vacancies could single-handedly reverse all teacher layoff notices. It’s evident that teacher shortages cannot be solved by laying off existing staff; instead, the district must focus on efficient allocation of resources to maintain adequate staffing levels and ensure quality education for our students.

State Budget Shows Considerable Tightening

While we are currently facing immediate challenges, including potential layoffs and a projected budget deficit at the state level, we are prepared to confront these obstacles head-on. Governor Newsom’s proposed 0% cost-of-living adjustment for K-12 schools in the upcoming budget may pose additional hurdles, making negotiations for educator raises more challenging in the future.

Taking action is essential. As we move forward, we must engage with parents and the community to amplify our voices and resist the district's planned layoffs. While in the face of a tightening statewide budget, it becomes even more imperative that California invests adequately in its schools, commensurate with its significant economic prowess. We refuse to accept anything less than the best for our students and educators. Which is why SDEA is teaming up with other large education unions in California to prepare to fight for a fundamental readjustment of how California funds our schools.

by Sara Holerud

Retiring this year? Join SDEA-R!

We’re a fun group of retirees who go to breakfast and lunch together, have speakers, happy hours, and the occasional outing. We have a movie club as well as a book club, and we keep in touch with our sister unions so we can share the latest information regarding candidates and issues. We sponsor a seminar on the district medical/dental benefits every fall. Come have fun with us. We’ll have members at the Day of the Educator so if you have questions, come meet us. If you are unable to attend and would like more information, please email Debbie Redenbaugh (debredsdear@gmail.com).

by Sara Holerud

Community Schools to Build Power and Transform Education in Our District

At the culmination of last year’s Recover, Rebuild and Rise Together contract campaign, we were able to win a new community schools contract article (Article 36) that enshrines an ongoing and expansive commitment to community schools in San Diego Unified School District. The new community schools article is the product of five years of continuous advocacy by SDEA union educator leaders in partnership with the San Diego Community Schools Coalition. Our SDUSD transformative community schools model is now supported by a legally binding agreement that provides accountability and resources to sustain the initiative. 

To be designated as a community school by the SDUSD Community Schools Steering Committee, each school community must demonstrate its readiness and commitment to implementing the equity strategy. After starting with an initial cohort of 5 community schools during the 2022-23 school year at ALBA, Hancock Elementary, Hoover High, Millennial Tech Middle and Mountain View Elementary, 10 new community schools were designated and came on board this school year:

10 more schools were designated to begin their community schools transformation next school year:

The new contract article delineates how we are implementing the proven community schools model that advances racial justice and quality education in our highest need school communities. In addition to articulating school site and district processes such as conducting needs and assets assessments with deep engagement, hiring full-time community schools coordinators and establishing shared decision-making that meaningfully involves all partner groups, the contract article specifies several other items to ensure success:

• Community school funds can be used for ongoing investment in, among other things, parent/community/youth organizing, outreach, and training; and curriculum planning time for educators, specifically around culturally-responsive and community-based instruction
• Establishment of community schools site coach project resource teacher positions, educator leaders who work with school staff, Site Governance Teams (SGTs), and community schools coordinators to support expanded and enriched learning and collaborative leadership
• Establishment of community schools district coach positions, who build the capacity of site coordinators, site coaches and SGTs

While it took awhile to get transformational community schools off the ground in SDUSD, our deliberative process sets up schools for success by 1) requiring collective commitment to the model 2) providing supports to transform our curriculum inside the classroom and 3) establishing partnerships with community organizations to implement solutions developed by inclusive problem-solving teams designated by SGTs. SDUSD Community Schools, powered by SDEA educator leaders collaborating with community school coordinators, families, students, and administrators, continue to expand our notion of what is possible with education in our district, both within and beyond our classrooms to ensure that our students in historically underserved communities have everything they need to thrive.

by Sara Holerud