August 2026 SVEA Scoop

09.01.26 Rep Council

09.02.26 Site Visit 🥪 Serrano Intermediate

09.03.26 Site Visit 🥪 Trabuco Hills High School

09.04.25 FACT-FINDING and Rally 💛

09.07.26 Labor Day Weekend 🧑🏻‍🏫

09.09.26 Bargaining for 2026-2027 💛

09.10.26 Region IV Meeting in Carlsbad

09.10.26 SVUSD School Board Meeting

09.11.26 Site Visit 🥪 Robinson

09.12.26 Canvassing for PROP 3 🚶🏻‍♀️

09.13.26 Canvassing for PROP 3 🚶🏻‍♀️

09.16.26 President's Conference

09.18.26 Site Visit 🥪

09.19.26 Canvassing for PROP 3: CTA Day of Action 🚶🏻‍♀️

09.21.26 Fall Recess

09.22.26 Executive Board

09.23.26 Bargaining 💛

09.24.26 Site Visit 🥪

09.25.26 SVEA Harvest Swap @ 4:00 🥕

09.28.26 Site Visit 🥪 Foothill Ranch Elementary

09.29.26 Rep Council

Dear SVEA Members,

To our newest members—welcome to SVEA! We are so glad you are here. We invite you to explore our website, learn more about your Association, and discover the many ways SVEA works to support, represent, and advocate for our members and the students we serve. If you have questions, need support, or simply want to get more involved, please reach out. This is your Association, and your voice matters.

To those who have been on this journey with us over the past year—thank you. Your support, engagement, and willingness to stand together have brought us to this moment. Everything we are able to accomplish is possible because of the strength of 1,100+ SVEA members standing together.

Together, we can move mountains.

And right now, we are continuing the fight for our students, our educators, and the future of public education in SVUSD.

Our Smaller Classes, Brighter Futures campaign is not built on opinion. It is grounded in research, professional judgment, and what educators experience in our classrooms every single day. We can no longer accept a system where districtwide averages create inequities from school to school, where some educators are asked to manage unreasonably large classes and caseloads, and where students do not have equitable access to the time and attention they deserve.

The time is now.

Last year, SVEA declared impasse with SVUSD after we were unable to reach agreement on critical issues affecting our members and students. We participated in three drawn-out mediation sessions before being released to Fact-Finding as the school year ended. A PERB neutral was assigned at the end of June, when our bargaining team was already out of contract and members were on long-planned summer vacations.

Now, we are beginning a new school year and walking directly into our Fact-Finding hearing on Friday, September 4th.

Your support has never been more important.

We remain hopeful that Fact-Finding will result in a fair settlement. But our work does not end there. The following week, we turn around and begin negotiations for 2026–2027—with salary on the table.

That means the power we build right now matters. Every SVEA shirt worn, every meeting attended, every conversation with a colleague, every action supported, and every member who chooses to stand with us strengthens our position at the bargaining table.

We are at a turning point.

Your SVEA leadership and bargaining teams are prepared. We are organized. We are determined. And we are ready.

The future of our students, our profession, and public education in our community is in our hands. Together, 1,100+ members strong, we have the power to create meaningful change.

The time is now to stand together.
The time is now to fight for smaller classes and brighter futures.
The time is now to take our district back.

In solidarity,

Mandy

We’re proud to provide every SVEA member with a FREE SVEA shirt this year. Wear it proudly and show that 1,100+ educators stand stronger together! 💪🍎

Only complete this survey if you had an issue, such as not getting an enrollment appointment.

The final leverage available to educators after completing the fact-finding process is a work stoppage—a strike. We know that word can feel intimidating, but it is important that members understand both the process and what it actually means. Financially, the impact is based on the duration of a strike, and you do not simply “lose a year” of service credit; any impact to service credit is proportional to the time not worked. Remember, most of us already have service credit reflected in decimals rather than perfectly even whole years.

Just as importantly, SVEA leadership does not unilaterally decide to strike—our members do. A strike authorization vote authorizes our bargaining team to determine whether circumstances warrant bringing an actual strike vote to the membership, while also sending a powerful message to SVUSD that members are prepared to withhold their labor if necessary. If the bargaining team later determines that a strike may be necessary, members would then vote on whether the Association actually goes on strike.

It is also important to remember that we are building our capacity for our next bargain, which begins September 9 and includes salary for 2026–2027. The more united and organized we are right now, the stronger our bargaining team will be when they sit down to negotiate our next agreement. The power we build today carries directly into the fight for salary tomorrow.

We want to be very clear: SVEA does not want a strike. Our goal is a fair settlement, and we are doing everything possible to achieve one without a work stoppage. But we must also be prepared to exercise the leverage available to us if it becomes necessary to secure a fair agreement for our students and educators.

PERB has advanced our complaint and is requiring the District to respond within 20 days of August 14. PERB mediation dates have also been proposed. While the District made changes to this year’s required training schedule, those changes represent yet another change in working conditions that was not negotiated with SVEA. Our demand to bargain from last year remains outstanding, along with our proposed MOU that included hourly compensation for required trainings. Stay tuned as this situation continues to evolve.

What is collective bargaining?

•Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems. It is also the best means for raising wages in America. Indeed, through collective bargaining, working people in unions have higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces.

•In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act clarified the bargaining rights of most other private-sector workers and established collective bargaining as the “policy of the United States.” The right to collective bargaining also is recognized by international human rights conventions.

(source: AFL-CIO)

What does this mean for you?

We are a collective! When we fight together, we win. As we move through the fact-finding process and into bargaining for our next contract, we need every member to step up and make time to show the district that we are united and stand strong for each other.

Please talk to your reps about ways you can participate this year!

The codes have been updates for Dan and Barbara. All that you need to do is scan each QR Code, the sign and send.

Sometimes the strongest organizing doesn’t begin with SVEA leadership—it begins organically at a school site when educators decide they have had enough. After seeing the outcome of serious student behavior and a subsequent parent complaint against a beloved member of their staff, educators came together, organized themselves, made shirts, and sent a clear message to the District: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. This is how movements start, and we could not be prouder of their courage and solidarity. Now, we will do our part to help that seed grow. As educators, we must stand up for one another and demand that SVUSD fulfill its responsibility to provide safe, supportive working and learning environments. Educators should not become the scapegoats when difficult situations arise simply because addressing challenging parents is uncomfortable. That is why we have highly-compensated admin, district leadership, Human Resources, and legal counsel—to step into difficult situations, support employees, and solve problems. When one site stands together, others see what is possible—and that is how we build power across SVEA.

✅. One seat down! Our favorite School Board Trustee, Dan Walsh, drew NO opposition—so he is IN for another term!

For our other open School Board seat (Barbara Schulman is retiring), we interviewed both candidates for Trustee Area 5, and ultimately decided to make no endorsement in the race. We appreciated the opportunity to meet with both candidates and learn more about their priorities and perspectives. Both bring different strengths to the race, and after thoughtful discussion, our PAC team decided that remaining neutral was the best choice for SVEA in this election.

But we still have an election to work on! We need volunteers to help us canvass for Prop 3! Grab a friend, get some steps in, and help us get the word out! We’ll provide the drinks and snacks—you provide the walking shoes! Even a couple of hours helps, and canvassing is always more fun with friends!

Sign up to canvass for Prop 3 HERE! https://www.mobilize.us/cta/

Support Our Union Neighbors!

Do you live in Capistrano Unified? Let’s support our friends at Capistrano Unified Education Association and their endorsed School Board candidates: Melissa Caldwell – Area 4, Jeanna Emmons – Area 6, and Ron Ruef – Area 7. If you live in one of these areas, don’t forget to vote!

In solidarity,
Juli Stowers
PAC Chair

pacchair@mysvea.org

I shared a clear message before summer break, the support and engagement of ALL SVEA members is essential to moving SVEA forward. We are advocating for our profession, holding the district accountable for its priorities, and pushing for decisions that reflect the needs of our students and educators. As we continue through this school year and into negotiations, our collective strength comes from our members being informed, engaged, and willing to stand together.

We will need your support during Fact-Finding on September 4th. SVEA members, please come to the District Office after your last class and spend an hour showing the bargaining team your support and sending a clear message to the district that SVEA is unified and standing together.

!!!Click!!! SVEA Important Dates !!!Click!!!

This is a live list of upcoming events, SVEA member actions, and opportunities for involvement. Your participation matters, and together we can help change the power structure in SVUSD.

Every member has a role in helping shape the future of our schools, our profession, and our working conditions. When we stand together, we have a stronger voice and when we are united, the district has to listen.

We look forward to seeing YOU on September 4th!

🍎. Almost two weeks of school down!

✅. We’re officially back in it—and I hope everyone is settling into the new year!

💰 Check Your Paystub!If you are entitled to a stipend—combo, leadership, or otherwise—please make sure it’s actually there! Mistakes happen, and it’s much easier to catch them early than months from now.

⏰ Check Your Duty Schedule, Too!Elementary teachers should not be assigned more than 15 hours of duty per school year. Take a look at your schedule and do the math!

🎤 We Need Your Voice on Class Sizes & Combos! Please consider speaking at the September 10 School Board meeting about class sizes and/or combination classes. Trustees need to hear directly from the educators living this every day. Even a short, 1–2 minute personal story can make an impact! If you’re not a fan of public speaking, just reach out – I’m happy to share your story for you!

Did You See?!
Some of our assessments are now OPTIONAL! If you’ve heard me talk about assessment overload, you know how happy this makes me. Fewer unnecessary assessments = more time to actually TEACH. We’ll take the win!

Here’s to a great year—and hopefully more wins to come!

Welcome back to each of you! If there is anyone in your department who is new this year, share my information with them: itinerantdirector@mysvea.org

Keep an eye out for my email check-in from me coming soon!

Elementary School Counselors: We are talking with your Coordinator and HR about their "new requirement" for you to stay at your school site for your full eight hours every day. This is a change of working conditions that must be negotiated.

Elementary Music: We are aware that having so many combos has impacted musical pathway offerings and coverage. Additionally, we are aware that many class sizes are at full capacity and than SpEd students are being added on top of your numbers. Please let me know if your numbers exceed the 45:1 ratio including your SpEd students. To help us support you, please fill out the class size survey that Mandy sent out.

Welcome Back, Special Education & Student Support Services!

Welcome back to a new school year! SVEA wishes all of our Special Education and Student Support Services staff a smooth, positive, and successful start to the year. We know how much preparation, flexibility, collaboration, and heart you bring to your work every day, and we appreciate your continued commitment to our students and one another.

As we begin this year, however, we need to have an important conversation about something that has become far too normalized:

We Need to Stop Absorbing Staffing Shortages

A position is vacant. A colleague goes out on leave. A caseload needs to be covered. A school needs a provider. And somehow, the staffing shortage becomes your workload problem: “Can you just take a few more students?” “Can you cover this caseload for now?” “Can you add another school until we hire someone?” And because we are special educators and student support professionals, we say yes.

We say yes because we are dependable. We help each other. We pick up the extra students. We stay late. We rearrange schedules. We figure it out. Most importantly, we do not want our students to go without services. But there is a point where “helping out” stops being sustainable.

The Workload Is More Than a Number

Too often, the actual work associated with absorbing an additional caseload is underestimated. Adding five students does not simply mean adding five names to a list. Adding three schools does not simply mean driving to three more locations. It can mean additional service minutes, assessments, IEP meetings, reports, documentation, consultation, parent communication, staff collaboration, scheduling, progress monitoring, compliance responsibilities, travel, and follow-up. Before agreeing to take on additional students, schools, or responsibilities, ask yourself: How much of my contractual workday is already accounted for? Where is my actual capacity? What responsibilities will be impacted by taking on additional work? If everything cannot reasonably be completed, what should be deprioritized?

You can continue adding students to a caseload or schools to an assignment, but at some point you cannot maintain the same quality, consistency, responsiveness, and individualization. At some point, “I’ll just take them” isn't necessarily helping our students.

Being Dependable Does Not Mean Being Endlessly Available

Sometimes the hardest part of establishing a professional boundary isn't fear of retaliation. It is the fear of being perceived as “difficult.” We want to be dependable. We want our administrators to know they can count on us. We don't want to disappoint our colleagues. And we certainly don't want to let our students down. But being dependable does not mean being endlessly available. You can be collaborative AND have limits. You can care deeply about students AND acknowledge that you do not have additional capacity. You can want to help AND ask, “If I take this on, what should be deprioritized?” And if establishing a reasonable professional boundary suddenly causes someone to view you as less of a team player, less reliable, or less deserving of support, that is a workplace problem—not a failure to be collaborative.

Staffing Shortages Are an Administrative Responsibility

Please remember: It is the District's responsibility to address staffing shortages, whether they result from vacant or unfilled positions, leaves of absence, recruitment difficulties, or other staffing circumstances. Employees should not automatically be expected to absorb an additional caseload simply because a position is vacant. Before agreeing to additional students, caseloads, schools, or. assignments, members should seek clarity regarding:

• What specifically am I being asked to take on?

• How long am I expected to assume these additional responsibilities?

• What existing duties or responsibilities will be adjusted or deprioritized?

• What compensation will be provided for the additional workload?

These expectations should be clearly articulated before you voluntarily agree to assume the additional caseload or assignment.

Do not be afraid to ask questions. Do not assume that because you helped during a staffing shortage last year, you are obligated to do it again this year. And do not allow an informal “temporary” arrangement to become an indefinite expectation without a conversation about workload and compensation.

Your SVEA Special Education & Student Support Services Team Is Here to Support You

Our students deserve appropriately staffed programs and services. Our educators and service providers deserve workloads that allow them to perform their jobs effectively and within their contractual workday. Supporting students and supporting employees are not competing priorities. Sustainable staffing and reasonable workloads are essential to providing high-quality services to students.

As we begin this school year, let's continue to support one another—but let's also stop normalizing a system that relies on the goodwill of already hardworking employees to solve ongoing staffing shortages. Be collaborative. Be supportive. Be a team player. But know your professional limits—and contact SVEA when you need support.

If you were on a temporary contract last year and were rehired for 2026–2027, your SVEA/CTA membership does not automatically carry over—you need to reapply! It only takes a few minutes to make sure you have the strength, support, and protection

of more than 1,100 SVEA members standing beside you. 💪🍎

Don’t get caught without your union behind you!

💰 MOVE OVER, MOVE UP & MAXIMIZE YOUR SALARY!

Did you know you can earn units toward moving across the salary schedule by attending CTA conferences? The earlier in your career you move as far to the right on the salary schedule as possible, the longer you benefit from that higher salary—and those dollars add up over the course of your career!

Even better? SVEA will help pay your way! 🎉 Take advantage of professional learning, connect with educators from across California, earn units, and increase your earning potential.

👉 Apply for an SVEA Conference Grant and start planning your next CTA conference!

SVEA is investing in all of us by making sure everyone gets trained and ready to lead! 💪

If you’re interested in attending any SVEA conference,

just fill out the grant link and secure your spot. 🚀

The more of us who share the same plan and strategy,

the stronger we become in moving SVEA forward—together! ✨

Please apply for an CTA grant first, then an OSCC Grant, and lastly SVEA,

we want to be able to send as many members as are interested in attending a conference.

Just a quick reminder that when it comes to taking sick leave—whether it’s personal illness, mental health, or any other type—you are not required to explain the reasons in detail. Your privacy is important, and you should never feel pressured to share more than you’re comfortable with.

If someone does ask why you're taking leave, it's completely okay to keep things brief or simply say you're unwell. Our best advice? —mummmm’s the word! 🧻🧘

SVUSD emails

Superintendant Crystal Turner: crystal.turner@svusd.org

Trustee Suzie Swartz: suzie.swartz@svusd.org

Trustee Amanda Morrell: amanda.morrell@svusd.org

Trustee Barbara Schulman: barbara.schulman@svusd.org

Trustee Dan Walsh: daniel.walsh@svusd.org

Trustee Michele Sparks: michele.sparks@svusd.org

President: Mandy De Groote president@mysvea.org

Vice President/Organizing Chair: Beth Anderson vicepresident@mysvea.org

Secretary & Membership Clerk: Erin Maguire secretary@mysvea.org

Treasurer: Toni Fields treasurer@mysvea.org

Tk-6 Director/PAC Chair: Juli Stowers TK6Director@mysvea.org

Intermediate Director: Kerry Nahas IntermediateDirector@mysvea.org

High School Director: Corey Murphy HighSchoolDirector@mysvea.org

SPED Director: Jessica Hokerson SPEDDirector@mysvea.org

Itinerant Director: Brittany Case ItinerantDirector@mysvea.org

Student Services Director: Kathryn Jaronczyk studentsupportservices@mysvea.org

Bargaining Chair: Andi Suter bargainingchair@mysvea.org

CTA Rep: Mike Bartetzko ctareps@mysvea.org

CTA Primary Contact Staff: Frank Oppedisano foppedisano@cta.org

SVEA is here to support you—but knowing where to start can make all the difference in solving issues quickly and effectively. If you have a question or concern, please follow these steps:

1. Start with Your Contract
   Before reaching out, take a moment to review the collective bargaining agreement. Many questions—especially those related to working conditions, timelines, and rights—can be answered directly by the contract.

2. Contact Your Site Rep First
   Your site representative should always be your first point of contact. Site reps have in-depth knowledge of your specific school context and can often resolve issues directly by working with administration.

3. Next Step: Reach Out to Your Director
   If you're not seeing progress through your site rep or if the issue is more complex, your area director is your next line of support. Directors are well-versed in the contract and can provide additional guidance and advocacy.

4. Escalate When Needed
   When necessary, your director can escalate concerns to the SVEA Officers or connect you with our CTA Primary Contact Staff for further assistance.

Remember: you are not alone. SVEA is a team, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. By following this process, we ensure the most effective and collaborative response to any challenge.