Santa Maria Elementary Educators Rally For Greater Involvement In District Decisions
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Elementary Education Association—or “SMEEA”—is holding a rally in front of the Souza Center on Miller Street.
They say they’re calling for a stronger voice during proceedings involving district decisions.
Front-line educators are pushing back against what they say are unilateral job changes made without their involvement.
Just before the break for last year’s thanksgiving holiday, the Santa Maria Bonita School District 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.
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.”
District leaders say these changes are being considered based on data gathered from studies in site needs.
The district’s intention is to expand access to certain resources for a greater number of 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.
SMEEA members 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.
A “blue wave” was instigated in august, urging greater inclusion from front-line educators when the district is making their decisions.
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.
They intend to stand united inside the Santa Maria-Bonita School District board meeting, which starts at 6:00pm.
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