Community rallies together to demand higher pay for teachers

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Growing concerns regarding fair pay for teachers propelled the community to unite to have their voices heard.

Dozens of teachers, faculty, and students gathered together outside of the Santa Barbara Unified School District office to make a statement.

Signs reading “We deserve more than 3%” and “Check the budget again” popped out in the colorful crowds.

It’s all a part of a larger effort to prevent teachers from leaving to greener pastures by advocating for higher pay.

“I teach because I love children and it makes me demoralized that other people who love children and want to do better for society know for the social common good, aren't going to be able to continue in this career. And I don't think that this should be a volunteer job,” said Harding Elementary 2nd grade teacher Dee Carter Brown.

The union says that employee turnover at the district is too high—The district has had to hire about 200 people over the last 2 years to replace those who left.

“Inflation just went up dramatically. And just the the raises that we've been getting in the district have not been able to keep up with that pace, which, again, puts a strain on teachers. And when there's a strain on teachers, the students also feel that,” said Santa Barbara Teachers Association President Hosby Galindo.

they say the current teacher salary is not enough to support the cost of living in santa barbara. they add that they are losing more and more teachers to school districts like ventura, who have given educators a 10% pay increase.

“If a teacher goes to Oxnard or to Goleta, they're going to get paid more than what they get paid here. And communities that cost less to live in. And so a lot of teachers are leaving. We had to hire about 100 teachers this year. We had to hire over 100 teachers last year. And that's not good for students. They're constantly getting new folks who have to learn new curriculums, learn new schools, learn new policies,” said Santa Barbara Teachers Association Treasurer York Shingle.

The district says “Santa Barbara Unified looks forward to working with our labor partners to reach agreements that will benefit our employees. We anticipate entering negotiations late fall for a contract that begins in the 2024-2025 school year.”

The union says they are waiting until September 15th to see how much the district has and how they are planning to allocate funds.