Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
"To have any impact at all on their struggle that will allow them to stay and teach in their community, it was all worth it," she says. Growing movement spreads to Scotts Valley "We felt more comfortable settling like we did because of Soquel and Mountain," says John Magliato, middle school English and art teacher in Scotts Valley. "Hearing about their victories helped motivate us to hold strong." e negotiations chair for Scotts Valley Edu- cation Association (SVEA) for the past three decades, he says bargaining is always "doom and gloom" from school district administration, with worst-case scenario forecasts presented as fact only to be off by millions of dollars later. is has kept educator salaries in Scotts Valley on the low side countywide, meaning high turn- over and not just among seasoned teachers. "We've turned into a training ground for first- year teachers and (International Baccalaureate) teachers, who leave for more money. at's the hardest part for me — losing all the teachers and having to train new ones," Magliato says. "We need a salary schedule that's competitive, so we stop losing teachers. It's unclear to me why we get paid the lowest, but we live in the second-most expensive community in the coun- try. We need to change the paradigm." Scotts Valley has been hit hard by teacher turnover, hiring 30 percent new staff this year alone. The issue of teacher pay and related impacts motivated SVEA members during their bargain earlier this year, with educators picketing in front of schools as often as three times a week to share their plight. "We started to get a good deal of support from the community, who began attending school board meetings," Magliato says. "Parents started asking a lot of questions and that led to a deal." Low teacher pay took center stage at a Scotts Valley School Board meeting when educators spoke to the board about how the district's proposal to add minutes to the workday would impact their ability to arrive on time for their second jobs. One educator shared that they had been researching selling their plasma for extra money. "The teacher shortage has a lot to do with how we're treated," Magliato says. "When I feel like we can do better and we don't, it's hard." After holding firm to their initial proposal and winning a 5 percent raise for 2021-2022, SVEA is headed right back to the bargaining table with the goal of improving teaching and learning conditions for all Scotts Valley stu- dents. Carried by the power their 100 members just built in the last campaign and the growing countywide effort, Magliato says he is confident in their prospects. " We have a go al thi s year and are l aser focused," he says. "We felt this surge throughout the county with solidarity in union. We have a momentum here that will last a while, I think." Bargaining in an ecosystem " We're conscious of the need to make prog- ress on issues for not only us but all teachers in Santa Cruz County," says Nirshan Perera, English teacher at Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz and president of United PCS. "There's concerted movement to lift the boat — it's a wonderful confirmation of the community beyond the individual associations." The 40 educators at the nationally acclaimed grades 7-12 Scotts Valley Education Association members picketed in front of school sites as many as three times a week in spring, holding firm and winning a 5 percent raise that will help attract and retain educators. 30 cta.org "We felt more comfortable settling like we did because of Soquel and Mountain [locals]. Hearing about their victories helped motivate us to hold strong." —John Magliato, negotiations chair, Scotts Valley Education Association Feature