February SVEA Scoop

02.11.26 Site Visit: GATES 🥪 Signature Gathering

02.12.26 Site Visit: CIELO VISTA 🥪 Signature Gathering

02.13-15.26 Political Academy - Garden Grove

2.14.26 Valentine's Day

02.16-20.26 SKI WEEK

02.24.26 MEDIATION

02.25.26 Site Visit: EL TORO 🥪 Signature Gathering

02.27.26 Site Visit: SANTIAGO🥪 Signature Gathering

02.27.26 Declaration of Candidacy for SVEA Executive Board and NEA/RA (in Denver)

03.02-06.26 Elementary Conference Week

03.05.26 School Board Meeting

03.06.26 Candidacy flyers due

03.06-08.26 Region IV Leadership Conference - La Jolla

03.09.26 Campaign Flyers emailed and Campaign Week

03.10.26 Executive Board Meeting

03.13-15.26 Human Rights and Equity Conference - Costa Mesa

03.16-19.26 Executive Board Voting Window

03.17.26 Rep Council and St. Patricks Day 🍀

03.20-22.26 Good Teaching South Conference - Garden Grove

SVUSD has proposed a “SVEA Shadow Program” to see what is happening in our classrooms. If they truly want to understand our reality, we welcome that — but it must reflect real classrooms, not pony shows. That means students being students, high class sizes and caseloads in action, and the daily multitasking and triage we manage. Participation would be voluntary, non-evaluative, confidential, and without recording or documentation tied to members. If you’re willing to show the honest reality of our working conditions, let us know.

Please do not invite parents to engage in bargaining on ParentSquare. While we objected to the District’s use of the platform for their bargaining update, we received a cease and desist on Wednesday, February 11.

SVUSD is finally looking into the possibility of offering a second Open Enrollment. It’s not a yes yet, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Alliant has started some initial conversations with Ward Services and WEX to see what might be possible. The wrinkle is that the District is moving away from Ward Services and switching to American Fidelity as the new benefits enrollment provider, which could affect how and when this can happen. Stay tuned for additional updates.

SVEA responded to SVUSD’s MOU proposal to revert to three intern psychologists with a counter that includes appropriate compensation for the supervising psychologist: a $1,500 stipend per semester or $1,000 per trimester to recognize the added workload and professional responsibility.

SVEA’s position has always been clear: if this process were truly voluntary, we would not take issue. However, it has become increasingly apparent that the district is requiring participation at some sites while allowing it to remain voluntary at others. This inconsistency is unacceptable. SVEA should not be forced to expend member resources on arbitration to resolve an issue that SVUSD could address immediately by agreeing to a reasonable compromise. We are calling on the District to make this process voluntary at all sites and to resolve this matter without further escalation.

We have continued to share that this process is not mandatory at all sites, which is contrary to the grievance we filed. We have always been in agreement that this could be a voluntary process, and should SVUSD agree that it could be voluntary, we could forego arbitration. Awaiting a response from SVUSD.

SVEA is finalizing the details of the remediation.

SVEA filed this grievance because the District is not honoring our clear contractual right to a 10-minute Association meeting during faculty meetings. By using the full hour+ for administrative business and pushing our time outside the meeting, the District has effectively taken away a right that was negotiated and agreed to. Since the issue has not been resolved at Level II, SVEA will be moving the grievance to arbitration.

We are currently awaiting a determination from PERB regarding whether the case will proceed.

SVUSD has until February 20th to file their response.

Please complete the bargaining survey by February 27th.

We are incredibly grateful to every member who has shown up, attended meetings, supported actions, and helped build our collective power. Your involvement has strengthened our voice and made it clear that we are united. That solidarity matters—and it continues to make a difference.

What is clear is that mediation is a critical moment: the outcomes will either move us closer to smaller classes and manageable caseloads—or clarify the level of organizing and solidarity required to secure them.

Please make sure to follow our social media pages, and then like and comment. We need our content to viral and become widely visible across the district. The easiest way to is grab something your like and share to your personal page.

We have approximately one month remaining to get member signatures. If you have not signed, please reach out to your site rep, they will have a ballot available. CTA has set a signing goal of 85% of local membership signatures. We are currently at about 40%.

Elections Chair: Mike Bartetzko

electionschair@mysvea.org

*We had to reschedule our budget meeting, so the dollar figure for the NEA/RA reimbursements may not be accurate, we expect to have an updated budget by our next Executive Board Meeting.

The CTA Board of Directors will award Incentive Grants for attendance at the following statewide conferences:

Good Teaching Conference - South

Conference Date: March 20-22, 2026

Location: Hyatt OC, Garden Grove, CA

Application Deadline: January 5, 2026

Equity & Human Rights Conference

Conference Date: March 13-15, 2026

Location: Hilton OC, Costa Mesa, CA

Application Deadline: January 5, 2026

2026 Region IV Leadership Conference

Conference Date: March 6-8, 2026

Location: Hyatt Regency, La Jolla

** If you are interested in becoming an SVEA leader, apply to attend SPARK.

To apply for an incentive grant online visit www.CTA.org/Grants

BIPOC Grants – BIPOC members are defined as belonging to one of the following racial-ethnic groups: African American; American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian; Hispanic; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or Multi-ethnic. These grants are offered to encourage minority leadership within the Association.

New Member Grants will be awarded to applicants who are within their first 5 years of CTA membership.

To learn more about upcoming conferences visit www.CTA.org/Conferences

Take advantage of the Student Loan Forgiveness Seminar from CTA below!

Please log-in to CalSTRS with you new log-in credentials and verify your data, use your retirement calculators, and explore your retirement options. Do not use your phone number, if you inadvertently use the wrong number it triggers at phone call in, wait times are excessive. Try not to call unless its an emergency, save yourself!

NEW TEACHERS: start planning your retirement NOW—don’t wait until you’re 40. If you’re considering purchasing service credit, it was cheaper yesterday than it will be tomorrow, so act early. And remember, any stipend position feeds into your Defined Benefit Supplement account—take those opportunities now, so your contributions have the maximum time to grow with interest. 💲📈

SVEA has been actively inquiring about the state-mandated safety plan that was due in July 2024, yet SVUSD has failed to make this a priority. In the absence of district action, SVEA has been forced to step in and monitor incidents of violence against staff to ensure our members are protected. We urge all members to report any and all instances of violence. This will not stop until both students and the district are held accountable for a safe learning and working environment.

Definition of Violence:
Violence includes any act or threat of physical harm, intimidation, harassment, or aggression directed at an individual. This can involve hitting, pushing, grabbing, throwing objects, verbal threats of harm, or any other behavior that causes a person to feel unsafe or physically endangered while performing their duties.

Teachers are reminded that under Education Code, you have the protected right to suspend a student from your classroom for acts of willful defiance and violence. Importantly, the student may not be placed in another teacher’s classroom during the day of suspension or the following day. School administration cannot prevent you from exercising this right, regardless of the student’s grade level, age, or IEP status. Special Education students are also subject to teacher suspension, with additional requirements after the fifth (10 days) suspension. When suspending a student, you are required to make an attempt to conference with the parents, which may be conducted by phone.

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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

Per the SVUSD website, " Recording encountered video color and technical difficulties". However the audio and subtitles are available.

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.