Letters in Solidarity: We Can’t Give Up - The Struggle Continues!

We Can’t Give Up - The Struggle Continues!

As this school year winds down and we head into our much-deserved summer break, let’s celebrate our collective victories over the last 4 school years that we all fought so hard to win together as SDEA union educators:

🎉 Over 20% in pay increases & protecting our fully paid family healthcare to maintain the best total compensation in the county
🎉 Stopping the layoffs of hundreds of the newest educators in our schools
🎉 Almost completely eliminating fall excessing that was so disruptive to our school communities
🎉 Establishing 39 community schools for next school year, a safe sleeping site for our unhoused students at the former Central Elementary campus and protections for immigrant and LGBTQ communities being targeted by the bully in the White House
🎉 Winning significant solutions to finally address years-long unresolved caseload overage grievances and the special education staffing crisis in our district

Our historic next contract is a testament to all the hard work it took to get strike-ready for the first time in 30 years in SDUSD. When we achieved our goal of more than 90% of SDEA union educators voting to authorize a strike, we left the district with no other choice but to shut down schools on the day of our strike because they knew that you can’t run schools without us! This gave our SDEA Bargaining Team maximum power to push the limits of what was possible in our next contract because we had the full force of more than 6000 mobilized SDEA union educators behind us. 

We now have the foundation to build to maximum power once again with our We Can’t Wait sister unions across California to create the momentum needed to: 

1. Increase funding for public schools in the wealthiest state in the country
2. Secure major improvements in our contract around salaries, class sizes, caseloads and ratios for student support professionals like SLPs, psychologists, nurses and counselors 
3. Defeat rising authoritarianism and fascism in our country

We can accomplish all of this through escalating our collective actions and building our union power in the next phase of our We Can’t Wait contract campaign, just like we did so successfully over the last 2 school years. This is our opportunity to develop a bargaining platform with even more ambitious demands and get ready for potential open-ended, economic strikes in 2028 to win big on all the things. 

It is easy to get discouraged with the threats to public education and unions from the federal administration and to our funding from the Governor who continues to withhold the funds in budget negotiations for our 5% raise that is needed to staff hard-to-fill positions like special education. But we can’t give up - the struggle continues and all of us are critical to win this fight for the schools and communities our students deserve! Onward! 

by Sara Kennedy

Union Organizing & Statewide Policy: How SDEA members are shaping the big picture

Union educators can do more than just protect their profession - they can transform it.

This past year, SDEA members have been involved in conversations and advocacy that go beyond our classrooms here in San Diego. SDEA educators organized to fight for a contract with better staffing, pay, and stability, aligned with the demands of educators across the state, coordinating their bargaining through the We Can’t Wait campaign. SDEA members showed up and held our District accountable - and will continue to do so! - but it’s clear that we need more than they can give us on their own. 

Even with San Diego Unified spending down reserves to the legal limit, we are still fighting for what our students and educators need. The good news: We know that more is possible in the wealthiest state in the country, and union solidarity gives us the opportunity to fight for big picture demands, too. As SDEA educators, we have plenty of examples of educators who are already engaged in transformative work at the state level. Teach Plus is one example of how state-level advocacy can also spark transformation within our union.

SDEA members shaping the big picture through Teach Plus

This Spring, SDEA members who are Teach Plus Policy Fellows volunteered to share their experience with their fellow members. Teach Plus is a highly competitive statewide fellowship that trains educators as policy advocates and connects them to a national network of teacher leaders influencing education. Their focus is on using policy, organizing, and storytelling to improve outcomes for students: engaging directly with lawmakers, delivering public testimony at the California State Legislature and the State Board of Education, sharing messages through op-eds and speaking with the media, and organizing and mobilizing educators. This includes policy work to advance Ethnic Studies and culturally relevant curricula, support for multilingual learners, and ensuring that diverse student populations are taught by diverse teachers.

Teach Plus Fellows participate in in-person trainings and monthly virtual sessions throughout the year, with all travel and a stipend funded by the fellowship. New fellows collaborate in workgroups focused on specific policy areas led by experienced fellows. For example, this year’s working group focused on multilingual learners advocated for extending EWIG funding, which has supported educators across the state in implementing the EL Roadmap, culturally responsive and research-backed best practices for multilingual learners and programs. Another working group focused on advocating for mental health and wellness supports in schools. 

Current SDEA members involved in Teach Plus:

Advocacy that changes educators and education itself

Multiple Fellows described their experience with Teach Plus as transformative. “You go in not knowing your worth as a teacher, and it ignites a spark,” said Jillian Salazar, a Marvin educator who is currently leading a working group as a Teach Plus California Senior Policy Fellow. “It changes how you see yourself and how you see education.” Fellows described how Teach Plus helped them transform their classroom expertise into statewide influence, connecting educators to the decision-makers who so often create policy disconnected from the realities that teachers and students face every day. That’s what educator unions are all about, too: Ensuring that leadership decisions are grounded in what educators and students actually need.

Some Fellows joined with a clear vision for their individual focus, while others brought a broader passion that they could define and expand through collaboration with other Fellows. After participating in the Fellowship, many educators were able to shift their individual advocacy to pursue systems-level change: Running for school board, pursuing doctorates, getting admin credentials… and getting more active in their unions! 

SDEA members advocating at the state level with Teach Plus

Beyond diversity: Environments that cultivate equity

Fellows described the fellowship as a truly diverse group of educators, guided by facilitators who helped them build structures to translate diversity into equity, because diversity alone isn’t enough to disrupt systems of oppression. “They actually coach you through how to understand yourself and how you relate to others,” said Monique. “They give us space for uncomfortable conversations, and space to sustain them. Skilled facilitators push you to ask the questions necessary to figure out where you can fit into the work.”

Within a diverse group that has the necessary structures to navigate uncomfortable conversations, the result can be what several fellows described as finding your people. “Something that many Teach Plus fellows have shared is a feeling of being ‘too much’ or ‘extra’,” said Jillian. “Then we got to this fellowship and realized we’ve found our people… we’re not too much, we’re just all hearing the same call!” 

Teach Plus fellows were hearing the same call, and some of them were even members of the same union! 

Find your people: Transformational advocacy in your union

Many San Diego Teach Plus fellows got plugged into opportunities like Teach Plus through fellow union members who are leaders in their school communities, and now the fellowship has provided inspiration to SDEA leaders to make sure that those great teachers are also great union members - maybe even leaders. “My whole thing is: How can I get folks who are really good teachers into our leadership?” said Monique Barrett, current Teach Plus fellow and SDEA Vice President and SDEA’s next president. “How can I be a better union leader, listening to their voices on the ground? How can they get more involved in their unions as leaders in their field? They can drive their unions to do more. And there are avenues to advocate and get involved beyond just being a site rep or getting elected to the board.” 

Marvin Elementary showed up #UnionStrong in October 2025 for our "Seeing Red" action

The same kind of educator-driven advocacy that Fellows explore and cultivate through Teach Plus is also at the heart of our union organizing. When educators gather around collective goals, they can ignite a spark that transforms education within our school buildings and beyond. For some members, being active in their union means stepping into leadership roles, but the beauty of a democratic union is that our collective power isn’t limited to leaders. Our power is in everyone playing a role, no matter how small it may feel on the surface. There are seeds of our power everywhere, shaping our schools and beyond:

• A teacher venting in the copy room might hear from a colleague about contractual rights they weren’t aware of, and can better stand up for themselves.

• A staff meeting full of red shirts might remind an administrator that leadership doesn’t equal dictatorship.

• A student who joins their teachers on a picket line might not hesitate to sign a union card at their first job.

Meaningful transformation starts with participation, no matter how small. Every member has a place in our union.

What’s your next step? 

• Are you looking to get more involved in your union? Talk to your site rep about attending Union Academy at the end of your summer break - SDEA’s annual kickoff to make sure all our sites and programs have the information and training they need to start their school year #UnionStrong!

• Are you interested in statewide policy through the Teach Plus fellowship? Applications for the Teach Plus California Policy Fellowship are open until July 10! You can also sign up for the Teach Plus newsletter to learn more and stay informed on this important policy work.

• Are you interested in learning more about the Teach Plus Emergent Bilingual Change Agent Network? Register for the EBCAN Cohort 5 Showcase taking place on Zoom June 17th from 5:00-7:00 PM (PDT) 

• Share this with a colleague! If reading this article makes you think of a colleague (maybe someone who is always just a little “too much”) consider passing on this information to them!

by Sara Kennedy

SDEA 2026 Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to all the recipients of SDEA’s 2026 scholarships!

SDEA offers scholarship opportunities for members and members’ dependents each year. The number and amount of the scholarships depend on the funds available from member contributions - these are scholarships for and from members! You can read more about the process the SDEA Scholarship Committee uses to award scholarships, and sign up to contribute to the scholarship fund today!

by Sara Kennedy

Celebrating 100% Union Membership!

This year, we built to our peak collective power - strike readiness! - and that would not have been possible without the local organizing in sites and programs across our District. Our solidarity is strongest when it is cultivated with the people we work with every day!

At the May 2026 Rep Council, the following sites and programs were recognized for 100% Union Membership:

• ADAMS E.S.
• ALCOTT E.S.
• BAKER E.S.
• BALBOA E.S.
• BEHAVIOR SUPPORT SERVICES
• BENCHLEY/WEINBERGER E.S.
• BETHUNE E.S.
• BIRD ROCK E.S.
• BIRNEY E.S.
• BOONE E.S.
• BURBANK E.S.
• CABRILLO E.S.
• CARSON E.S.
• CARVER E.S.
• CHOLLAS/MEAD E.S.
• CORREIA M.S.
• CRAWFORD H.S.
• CROWN POINT E.S.
• CUBBERLEY E.S.
• CURIE E.S.
• DE PORTOLA M.S.
• EB SCRIPPS E.S.
• ECSE (INFANT/TODDLER)
• EDISON E.S.
• ERICSON E.S.
• EUCLID E.S.
• FARB M.S.
• FAY E.S.
• FIELD E.S.
• FLETCHER E.S.
• FOSTER E.S.
• FRANKLIN E.S.
• FULTON UTK-8
• GARFIELD H.S.
• GOLDEN HILL UTK-8
• HAGE E.S.
• HAWTHORNE E.S.
• HEARST E.S.
• HOME & HOSPITAL / JACKSON ANNEX
• HORTON E.S.
• IHIGH VIRTUAL ACADEMY
• IMC
• INNOVATION M.S.
• JOHNSON E.S.
• JONES E.S.
• JUAREZ E.S.
• KNOX M.S.
• LEWIS M.S.
• MANN M.S.
• MARVIN E.S.
• MCKINLEY E.S.
• MILLENNIAL TECH M.S.
• MIRAMAR RANCH E.S.
• MONTGOMERY M.S.
• MOUNTAIN VIEW UTK-8
• MUIRLANDS M.S.
• NIPAQUAY E.S.
• NORMAL HEIGHTS E.S.
• OAK PARK E.S.
• OCEAN BEACH E.S.
• PACIFIC BEACH E.S.
• PACIFIC VIEW LEADERSHIP E.S.
• PARADISE HILLS E.S.
• PENN E.S.
• POINT LOMA H.S.
• RODRIGUEZ E.S.
• ROLANDO PARK E.S.
• ROSS E.S.
• ROWAN E.S.
• SAN DIEGO M.E.T. H.S.
• SESSIONS E.S.
• TAFT - TEACHER PREP & STUDENT SUPPORT
• TIERRASANTA E.S.
• TOLER E.S.
• VISTA GRANDE E.S.
• WEGEFORTH E.S.
• WHITMAN E.S.
• ZAMORANO E.S.

by Sara Kennedy