Over three hundred SBTA and SBASP members rally at SBSD board meeting

Two CTA-affiliated chapters, Solana Beach Teachers Association (SBTA) and Solana Beach Association of Support Professionals, (SBASP) organized a large rally at Thursday’s Solana Beach School District (SBSD) board meeting to communicate their frustration over district policies that have led to a reserve rate over sixteen times the state requirement while officials simultaneously claim they cannot afford investments in classrooms, competitive wages, and family healthcare.

Both chapters coordinated efforts at the gathering, as teachers, aides, and other classified employees stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying signs and chanting “We stand together”, before the 6:30 PM meeting.

As the board members returned from closed session to begin the general meeting, they found themselves walking through a gauntlet of scores of members of both unions who communicated their desire for fair settlements for their SBTA and SBASP members. The large overflow crowd outside was in part due to district inflexibility; SBTA’s request that the meeting should be moved to a larger facility to avert such issues was rejected.

SBTA’s Carrie Brewer poses three questions

Members and leaders were enthusiastic about the results of the rally. SBTA President Cyndy McBride was convinced that board members and administrators could not ignore the level of community support; “Parents, teachers, and education support personnel are united in our message that educators and support personnel are the district’s most valuable assets. It’s time to invest in them.”