We Are Asking You!
By Camille Zombro, SDEA President and Marc Capitelli, SDEA Vice President

When we ran for office we told you that we would be asking you to take an active part in your union. Now we are asking for about an hour of your time. During the month of March we have scheduled a number of "all member meetings" and we're inviting every bargaining unit member to take part.

Your AR or CR will be asking you to join your fellow Association members at these meetings. It has been over four years since we have met as a group and many SDEA members have never had an opportunity to stand together with their union brothers and sisters.

The history of SDEA is long and filled with examples of achieving our goals through collective action. Our history teaches us that none of us is as smart as all of us. We must be organized to act and respond in a coordinated manner. Our goals for the future must be supported by our mobilization and organization.

Let's review our short and long term goals:

• * Protect our civil and constitutional rights from encroachment and abridge-ment by the District. Our working conditions are the children's learning environment, and we will not acquiesce to work in an environment of fear.
  
  The events surrounding the case of Challenger Middle School's new Teacher of the Year, Gerald Gapusan, occur in the context of a series of joint Shared Decision Making trainings, hosted and co-trained by SDEA and SDUSD staff. This irony is not lost on us. While SDEA leaders have consistently worked to establish democratic schools through what we deemed a meaningful shared decision-making policy, we are not blind to the reality that surrounds us.
  
  Our unity is what will protect our rights. "An injury to one is an injury to all," is not just a slogan. It is a core union value.
  
  
• Bargain to improve our salary comparability with regard to others in San Diego County. We lose tens of thousands of dollars over our careers when compared to teachers in other districts. At the same time, politicians in Sacramento are look ing again to reduce or restructure our pensions! This is not a matter of Republican or Democrat. We deserve a stable and fair retirement, free from political attack.
  
  We deserve better. We deserve to be paid as professionals who understand and practice their profession. It is a core union value.
  
  
• Move forward with Shared Decision-making (SD-M). Here in San Diego Unified, our SD-M policy was weakened by years of strife, as the previous administration actively disregarded the SD-M process. But the process itself is referenced in numerous articles of our contract, and the potential of shared decision-mak- ing, as a concept, is a powerful idea that many of our members are willing to try.
  
  We will do all we can to make SD-M work until and unless the District shows that it has different intentions. We will continue to participate as long as there remains widespread support among membership, and as long as the process itself is honored and functions in such a way that it values the best interest of our students and the contributions of all other stake-holders in our schools.
  
  We will be watching for any modifications to the policy and monitoring the success of site governance teams through regular communication with our sites.
  
  The bottom line is that our experience has shown that regardless of policy of contract language, Shared Decision-making is only effective at sites where teachers and staff are organized and united, and where administrators buy into the concept. Shared Decision-making, and what it promises, is a core union value.
  
  
• Rewrite, not reauthorize, ESEA (see the NCLB article in this Advocate). A free, quality public education is the foundation of a free and democratic society. It is a core union value.
  
  
• Stand with our sister SDUSD unions for a living wage. Everyone who works for SDUSD should earn a living wage. Tax dollars should not subsidize poverty, and all employees deserve to receive pay that is above the poverty level. It is a core union value.

When your friendly AR or CR comes to talk with you, we are asking you for about an hour of time to join us for some fun, inspiration, and information. Only through our collective energy, intelligence and passion can we hope to
make much needed gains in student achievement and ensure a quality workplace for all SDUSD employees.