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SDEA President Terry Pesta |
In a school board election battle that garnered national attention, San Diego Unified teachers won the re-election of a crucial ally on Nov. 5. At the same time, they forged strong community bonds for their ongoing fight to make educators full partners in decisions affecting the district's 140,000 students.
Superintendent Alan Bersin clearly underestimated the determination of the 9,000 members of the San Diego Education Association who oppose his failed reform policies that hurt students and their schools, says SDEA President Terry Pesta.
"We've made some very impressive gains here in cementing relations with the community and educating voters about what is really going in our schools," says Pesta. "And this is only the start."
In the coming months, Pesta vows the chapter will pursue alternative strategies - including litigation and legislation - to ensure that the classroom becomes the top priority in the state's second-largest school district.
The teachers wore down Superintendent Bersin's political machine until it nearly broke by Election Day. His strongest critic, incumbent John de Beck, was re-elected with more votes than any other candidate. SDEA's other endorsed candidate for the five-member school board, Jeff Lee, lost despite getting 48 percent of the vote. A three-member majority of the board still backs Bersin.
When it comes to criticizing Bersin's flawed "Blueprint for Student Success," de Beck vows to continue speaking for students, parents and teachers.
"The biggest vote has been for me and I've been known to oppose Alan Bersin's reforms," de Beck told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "The message is, the blueprint needs to be fixed and Alan Bersin needs to pay attention to that."
To elect de Beck and Lee, SDEA members mobilized like never before. They turned out in record numbers to work phone banks, walk precincts and write postcards. Over the course of the campaign, they made more than 30,000 phone calls and handed out more than 15,000 pieces of literature. They also gave dozens of interviews to local and national reporters about why teachers were so committed to voting for school board members who would include local teachers in education decisions.
Pesta says San Diego teachers greatly appreciated the strong support and commitment from CTA.
"The Bersin education plan is hurting San Diego students and destroying teacher morale," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "We supported SDEA's efforts to elect John de Beck and Jeff Lee to help heal the community and restore education programs gutted by Bersin and his bureaucratic cronies."
During the school board races, CTA contributed $300,000 toward electing the two candidates, the most ever by CTA for any local race. The money made possible an effective television ad campaign with the theme, "What does a teacher make? A difference!"
CTA also committed additional staff to help on the ground.
In October, CTA's State Council of Education voted unanimously to pass a resolution denouncing Bersin for fiscal mismanagement and the diversion of millions of dollars from classroom education to pay for outside consultants.
"We were especially heartened by State Council's approval of the resolution," says Pesta. "It gave us further evidence that our 335,000 colleagues across California stood with us in this battle to end Bersin's failed policies and to defeat his handpicked school board candidates."
The major issue in the campaign was making the classroom the top priority.
Bersin has cut the jobs of hundreds of vital classroom aides in order to pay for exorbitant contracts with outside consultants from as far away as New Zealand and Australia. He also cut various instructional programs, including music and art, as the district's budget deficit reached $30 million.
"District management has chosen to listen to the advice of highly paid outside consultants instead of the reasoned judgment and experience of parents and teachers," says Pesta.
During the campaign, teachers publicized a simple, four-point plan to improve the district. The plan calls for making the classroom the priority for spending, focusing resources on children, listening to parents and teachers, and respecting the input and concerns of teachers, parents and students.
The election may be over, but SDEA will continue to fight for respect and an equal partnership in district decision-making.
Mike Myslinski and Len Feldman
