SEA on the move at SOH

SOH teachers march for justice
By Elma Gonzalez


Almost half an hour before the first bell rings, Mr. Loper and Mr. Jourdain, along with many other teachers head out to the front of the school. With fliers in one hand and signs in the other, they begin their quest of communicating the current struggles faced by all teachers of the Sweetwater Union High School District to parents and anyone willing to listen. This routine started last week on Tuesday, September 8 and will continue "until the new contract is put together," assures Mr. Loper.

SUHSD teachers have been waiting for a new contract since June 30, 2008, when the old contract expired. After more than 440 days without a contract, the SEA organized educators around the district and decided to take the matter into their own hands and attempt to get other members of the community involved in the issue. This is why you have probably seen teachers outside handing fliers to your mom. Although they are in front of the school, 'holding signs' and 'marching', it does not mean they are on strike. However, because there has been very little progress with the contract they may soon be. When asked if it was likely that they would go on strike, Mr. Loper simply answered, "I don't know."

But why is this taking so long? Well, the reasons remain the same. Teachers insist class sizes shouldn't be modified, while the district is firm in its decision to change them from 28:1 to 30:1. Educators argue that having larger classes decreases the amount of 1:1 time a teacher has with each student, which lessens the quality of education given to the students. "Students need to realize this affects them directly," affirms Mr. Higgins. Still, the main reason teachers are marching outside the school is because they are displeased with the moves the district has made this year. According to the rules of collective bargaining the old contract must be enforced until the two teams sign on a new agreement. However, " [the district] is not respecting the contract", informs Mr. Higgins. Among many other things, the old contract declares the student:teacher ratio to be 28:1; yet this year the district has imposed a 30:1 ratio. According to the SEA this change ultimately harms students. Ms. Stretcher the AP US History teacher has faced many problems this year due to the increase in class sizes. Because she has more than 40 students, who take almost all the space in the classroom, she wasn't left any choice but to dispose of her own desk.

Teachers often stay long after the last bell to help students with homework and provide extra help to those who need it. However, it is because of the difficult situation they are facing that they have decided to no longer work these extra hours, and simply "work to the rule" (meaning they will only work their contractual hours.) On September 8 at 2:51, several teachers grabbed their keys and headed home leaving many students without the extra assistance they needed, but hoping that doing this will 'ultimately be beneficial to the students in the long run.' For many teachers like Ms. Stretcher the students are the number one priority; "I've been teaching for a long time -before there were contracts- and for me the most important thing is the students; we can't forget why we teach."

Hopefully, both parties will soon come to an agreement so that teachers can continue helping students thrive.