Santa Maria Elementary Educators Rally For Greater Involvement In District Decisions
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Santa Maria Elementary Education Association (SMEEA) held a rally right in front of the Souza Center on Miller Street, just before standing united in the district board meeting.
They called for a stronger voice during district decisions.
Front-line educators at Santa Maria-Bonita School District are pushing back against what they say are job changes made without their involvement.
“So SMEEA is here with support of our fellow members from CSA and our community, to say no more decisions about us without us,” says Jennifer Danowitz with Santa Maria Elementary Education Association.
The Santa Maria Bonita School District recently announced the restructuring of some positions.
These announcements were a surprise to educators who work with special-need students in the areas of english and literacy.
“It's shock,” says Erik Voss, SMEEA’s Junior High Director. “You know, we have such a relationship with the district that we're here for, for our students.”
In the restructured positions, teachers who work closely with small groups of students with unique needs will be given what they feel are unsustainable work loads.
Educators say having to work with larger groups of students harms inclusive practices and communication, and makes the safety of the learning environments a greater challenge.
“There really isn't a solid idea of what this is going to look like, because they haven't talked to any actual teachers doing the work right now,” says Voss.
Members of the teachers’ union say the district is imposing broad changes without intentional and honest collaboration with the very front-line educators affected by those changes.
“This decision and all of the decisions that they're making without us in the room impact every single educator and every single student,” says Danowitz.
The gathering stood united inside the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board Meeting, which started at 6.
District board vice-president Linda Cordero noted that once they delivered their public comments, most of them left, clearing the room.
Board member John Hollinshead acknowledged the union’s concerns, saying they can do better with communication while changes are implemented.
“I think we need to do a better job of making sure that the venues of communication are more reciprocal,” Hollinshead stated at the board meeting.
The board voted unanimously to pass the resolution, adopting the changes.
Santa Maria-Bonita School District provided the following statement:
"Tonight’s action supports our commitment to improving student learning by strengthening instructional systems at all of our schools. The district will continue working closely with educators to implement this model thoughtfully and effectively. We welcome everyone’s perspective and input as we continue to create a learning environment that is focused on our mission to serve all of our students."
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