An Open Letter to the
SDUSD Board of Education
By Camille Zombro, SDEA President and
Marc Capitelli, SDEA Vice President

Dear SDUSD Board Members,

The San Diego Education Association is proud of the great contribution our members make to public education and to the lives of our students. As a union, we value every school employee because we see first-hand the importance of our work.  Our work builds the future.

SDEA has not been an active participant in the budget-cutting process currently underway for three primary reasons:

First, we question the District's intent in going to such great lengths to include input from stakeholders when we are never asked for consequential input during years when revenue has been stable. If we are meaningful partners in building the District's budget, we would be so at all times-not just when it's time to cut programs and employees.

Second, we stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers across the district in denouncing any and all layoffs. The people of SDUSD make the entire system work. We simply cannot participate in a process that cuts off the livelihood of working families when we have no real power or authority over the final product. We do not work in a vacuum. Without the support of our classified brothers and sisters, in the myriad jobs they do, we cannot do our jobs.

Third, we believe that layoffs are not inevitable. We look to the District to fight for our students in Sacramento and in our communities.  SDEA already participated in the Compensation Comparability Task Force in which we made recommendations on how you can prioritize our members in the SDUSD budget. We feel we have done our part and we look to you to make sure we don't lose ground on the important progress we are making for our students. We know that we cannot do more with less.

We do not envy the task before you. We applaud the Board Resolution, supported by Board Members Nakamura, deBeck and Jackson, denouncing the budget cuts, passed on February 26, 2008. But the resolution fell far short of calling for the increased revenue that is required to teach our children. The funding for public education has not been adequate in decades. How ironic that, in this year of massive increases in NCLB test score requirements, we are again being asked to do more with less. We are no longer able to do that. The test score game will drown us next year.

A significant portion of the proposals now before you require negotiations with SDEA. Many of these proposals are so onerous to employees, as to be unacceptable and despicable. We will fight for all our members and join with our brothers and sisters to keep you from placing more of the financial burden of educating our children on the backs of your employees.

The reality of SDEA members across the city is one of uncertainty and discouragement.  How you and the District administration are treating employees during this difficult time is sending a clear message and will be remembered.

We were saddened to see that District administration blind-sided employees with Bill Kowba's February 5th e-mail announcing possible layoffs. This action was followed by the intimidating, confusing and demoralizing tactic of asking employees to sign by their seniority dates-in clear violation of their rights. We have seen numerous examples of Board Members' and administrations attempts to divide employee unions and individual employees by blaming our meager salary increases or our contracts for possible layoffs.

The last-minute Board meetings during the work day and the insidious collection of anonymous feedback from the District's website (a process in which union leaders refused to participate) only serve to strengthen the feeling that you, our employer, do not value our families nor the work we do every day in every school.

Stop being the victim. Stop accepting the pitiful handout from the state. Our School Board should be making the case to the citizens of San Diego that quality education must be paid for. If our School Board is willing to take such a courageous stand, we will stand with you. But if you continue to do business as usual by balancing your budget on the backs of our students and the employees who care for them, SDEA will stand with the other employee unions between you and all our members.

Sincerely,

Camille Zombro, SDEA President                  Marc Capitelli, SDEA Vice President