Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
charter school are currently bargaining their second contract ever, having organized United PCS and affiliated with CTA in 2019. Perera taught at the school for seven years without a union, saying that educators had an extremely limited and provisional voice during that time. Unionizing gave teachers a place and brought them together, which he says was huge when the pandemic arrived the following year. "There's so much the contract has brought us, and by us, I mean the school," Perera says. PCS Latin and history teacher Mary Kelly Gardner says the school has also been hit by teacher turnover, with eight new educators this year. e daughter of a New York public school teacher, Gardner often thinks about how her father supported a family of five, bought a home and sent three children to college on an educator's salary, which just isn't possible in Santa Cruz. "Look at the price of housing here," says Gardner, a United PCS member. "I deserve stability and the ability to have a family and home of my own." During this current bargain, math educator and bargaining team member Jenny Eskenazi says members are strongly united in support, with teachers speaking out at board meetings. A Santa Cruz native, Eskenazi says educators have always been paid less there, but this new movement is changing things. "The labor renaissance is underway. Our partnership with educators in other school districts is part of that," says Eskenazi. "I'd drive by Soquel teachers on the corner and get emotional about it. Seeing other locals come to agreements is giving us a lot of encouragement and validation." Perera says that the concerted ef fort to bring teachers together across the county to share resources is crucial to improve conditions for all educators and students in Santa Cruz. "It's been a really important movement in seeing how much work is bound up in things that are bigger than us," he says. "ere's so much gaslighting that goes on with the construct of greedy teachers. Part of what the coordination has done is highlight the larger ecosystem we work in." e environment, support and collaboration with fellow edu- cators across the Santa Cruz area is energizing locals like United PCS as they head to the table. "We have a sense of unity that is palpable," Perera says. "We're doing the necessary work connecting with our members, so we have a lot of strength going into the conclusion of bargaining." As this movement for the schools all Santa Cruz students deserve grows and organizing continues, educators are building power through their victories and gearing up for more. It's an often-strenuous effort, but educators say it's well worth it. "Being a teacher is a very big job. Organizing or attending board meetings on top of that sounds like a lot of work," says SEA's Barratt. "When you connect it to actual change, it opens people's eyes to why it's so important." • Bonny Doon School Teachers Association • Happy Valley Education Association CTA/NEA • Live Oak Elementary Teachers Association • Mountain Teachers Association • San Lorenzo Valley Teachers Association • Santa Cruz County Education Association • Scotts Valley Education Association • Soquel Education Association • United PCS Santa Cruz County Local Associations These CTA-affiliated locals are working to improve learning conditions for students and raise educator salaries across Santa Cruz. Leaders from some of these locals met to continue building together at the recent Region I Leadership Conference. Jenny, Eskenazi, Nirshan Perera and Mary Kelly Gardner of United PCS, which is currently bargaining their second-ever contract. 31 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 "It's been important [to see] how much work is bound up in things that are bigger than us. There's so much gaslighting that goes on with the construct of greedy teachers. Part of what the coordination has done is highlight the larger ecosystem we work in." —Nirshan Perera, United PCS president