SAN DIEGO — San Diego Unified teachers, nurses, counselors and other educators are expected to hit the picket line on Thursday morning. The group is negotiating a new union contract. According to a press release by the teachers union, the union is looking for “a contract that would ensure long-term improvements for students, schools, and the community.”
They will be holding rallies across the county on Thursday. They will be at Muir Elementary at 7:15-7:45 a.m., Chavez Elementary at 7:00-7:30 a.m., Hancock Elementary at 12:15-12:45 p.m., and Hoover High School at 3:30-4:00 p.m.
SDEA is a union of 6,500 teachers, counselors, nurses and other certificated educators in San Diego Unified School District. The existing SDEA/SDUSD agreement expired in June of last year.
According to the press release, the union’s bargaining goals include:
- Doubling elementary enrichment classes, like music and art
- A full-time counselor at every elementary school
- A full-time nurse at every high school
- Better special education staffing
- Safe school perimeters and controlled points of entry
- No TK class over 20 students (down from 24), no K-3 class over 27 students (down from 35) 4th and 5th grade class average 30 (down from over 32)
- Ending the staffing shortage by attracting new educators to the teaching profession while keeping veteran educators from leaving
- Fighting for a fair pay raise to keep up with the local cost of living
- Six weeks of paid maternity leave for new mothers
San Diego Unified released a statement addressing the negotiations that said:
"The dedication of our employees to the work they do serving all students is fundamental to the success of our schools. To our educators and staff members: We hear you and we appreciate you. Together we will continue the critical conversations to make San Diego Unified a place to live, grow, and thrive for all employees, students and families."
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