New Educator Welcome

Letter from the President

Dear Colleague,

I am excited to welcome you as a fellow educator in the San Diego Unified School District! We are the San Diego Education Association (SDEA), a union that represents over 6,000 educators in SDUSD. SDEA is the second largest education union in California and we are part of larger education unions, including the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA).

SDEA is the exclusive representative for the TK-12 bargaining unit members in SDUSD, including classroom teachers, special education teachers, early childhood educators, resource teachers, visiting teachers, speech-language pathologists, school nurses, counselors, school psychologists, audiologists and librarians. Together, we have a stronger collective voice at the bargaining table with the district as we negotiate our salary, health benefits and working conditions. Together, we enforce our standard-setting contract with fully paid family health benefits and competitive salaries and that we have consistently strengthened with each successive agreement going back to the 1970s. SDEA educator leaders and staff can assist you in representation at an administrative conference or in other situations that may arise as you perform your work duties each day. We recognize that our working conditions are the learning environment of San Diego’s children. We organize, we advocate, and we bargain to support public education. Together, we are your union and YOU ARE SDEA!

We want to invite you to join SDEA. Being an active union member has never been more important than it is right now. We must stand together and support one another as we work to protect and strengthen public education in San Diego, California and across the nation. The enclosed membership commitment form can be put in school mail to SDEA, or you can give it to the Association Representative (AR) at your site. You may also easily complete the online membership form found on our website (sdea.net).

Please reach out to your Site AR who is elected by your peers to support you, as well as our staff and elected leaders at SDEA if you have any questions or concerns. You will receive regular communication from SDEA through e-mails, site meetings and the monthly SDEA Advocate newsletter email. These include important information, bargaining updates and calls for action. It is important to stay connected, so make sure your personal email and contact information are on file at the SDEA office.

Finally, thank you for choosing to become a fellow San Diego educator and dedicating your career to improving the lives and learning of San Diego students. Welcome to SDUSD and to the SDEA family!

Solidarity,

Kyle Weinberg

SDEA President

SDEAPres@sdea.net

619-283-4411

Resources for New SDEA Members:

If you have questions about membership or your contractual rights, your first point of contact is your site SDEA Association Representative (AR). To find out who your site AR is, call the SDEA office at 619-283-4411.