SDEA Fights for More SPED Staff, SDUSD Proposes Bigger Caseloads

On Monday, SDEA and SDUSD met to bargain over special education caseloads for Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers and Resource Specialists. This was the first bargaining session of the reopener bargaining.

SDEA took our yearlong fight to increase special education staffing to the bargaining table. Based on feedback from educators and parents at an input session last Thursday, SDEA’s bargaining team proposed:

• One job title of Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teacher for all current Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers and Resource Specialists.
• An immediate hard cap of 20 for Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers.
• No new Initial or PPPSS assessments for Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers already at a full caseload.
• Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers shall be assigned to no more than two schools.
• Mandatory parent notification to any parent whose child is on the caseload of an Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teacher who is over caseload.

To say our union and the District are far apart on these issues right now is an understatement. Here is what the District’s team proposed:

• One job title of Mild/Moderate Teacher for all educators currently under either of these titles.
• A soft cap of 22 for all current Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teachers and Resource Specialists.
• The cap would not go into effect until the eighth week of school.
• Overages of 23 or 24 would not increase staffing. Instead, Mild/Moderate Teachers with 23 or 24 students for 20 consecutive workdays (after the first seven weeks of school) would receive a $1,000 stipend.
• Overages of 25 might increase staffing. Sites with a Mild/Moderate Teacher with 25 or more students for 10 consecutive workdays (after the first seven weeks of school) could receive a proportional staffing allocation. After another 20 workdays days, if the allocation is not filled, the teacher would receive another $1,000 stipend.

The District also proposed a new joint job description and shared plans for additional professional development around special education.

While SDEA and the District are on the same page about having one job title and one caseload, the similarities end there. SDEA’s proposal would strengthen the current Education Specialist: Mild/Moderate teacher cap of 20, while lowering the current Resource Specialist cap of 24 to 20. Our proposal would increase special education staffing and better enable student service hours to be met.

The District’s proposal would weaken current special educator caseload protections. It would essentially set everyone’s caseload at 24, with a stipend for some educators with over 22 students after 11 weeks or longer. The proposed stipends are far less than the cost of actually hiring additional staff, effectively incentivizing the District to pay off special educators over caseload without bringing in the staff our students with disabilities need. That is the opposite of what we are fighting for!

The District has two more chances to get it right, or we are taking our fight to Superintendent Cindy Marten. There are two more bargaining dates on the calendar for the the Parties to discuss special education: March 11 and March 18. If we don’t reach agreement by the 18^th, the accountability session with Cindy Marten is set for 4:30 p.m. on March 20 at the SDEA office. Save the date now!

There are also two more special educator input sessions at the SDEA office to make sure the SDEA bargaining team knows your priorities:

• Tuesday, March 5 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Thursday, March 7 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Proposals and Ground Rules

• SDEA Proposal March 4 2019
• SDUSD Proposal March 4 2019
• Ground Rules March 4 2019
• Limited Discussions Agreement March 4 2019

SDEA will continue reopener bargaining with the District on Wages and Safety for the remainder of this school year. Stay tuned for more updates.

Together we are stronger!