Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
Maintaining safe teaching and learning environments is a major priority for SDCAE — "it's an equity issue," Cruz says. The local recently collaborated with SDCOE as part of a joint safety team (contractually negotiated), members and working with management to develop recommendations to increase safety. Cruz says it's been a positive experience. " The county has done more than support us — they 've been partners in this," she says. The experiences differ vastly based on the county office. Association of County Employ- ees (ACE) members rallied earlier this year before a Santa Clara County Office of Educa- tion board meeting to call attention to injuries suffered by educators at the hands of students while on the job, ranging from bites and bruises to broken bones and busted teeth to wounds that required stitches. ACE President Tara Guerrero said during the Spring rally that educators do not blame their students for the injuries, calling them "a result of management's failure to provide appropriate student-specific learning, training, support and resources including staff." ACE educators point to inadequate staffing as a major reason for ongoing unsafe teach- ing conditions. While the teacher shortage is impacting public schools nationwide, county offices endure specific challenges related to their relationship with local school districts that compound staffing problems. Rider says local school districts often believe they can better support students they have transferred to the county office and save money, leading to districts reclaiming these students — to the detriment of everyone involved. "It's a nightmare and it really affects our moderate to severe special education students," Rider says. "When districts take back, they look at numbers— they don't understand the severity of disabilities and needs." Job security, local connections This causes great turmoil in county offices, which often lay off educators when programs are transferred back to local school districts, causing folks to reconsider where they work. "Everybody 's worried about the quality of care. The county provides specialized programs that serve multiple districts by sharing costs. It's cheaper in the long-run to operate these programs through the county than the districts," Rider says. "How do we get our members to stay at the Yuba County Office of Education when everything is in flux and members don't know if their job will be there next year?" County educators' local associations con- tinue to organize and build power across the state to support their members, advocate for their students and fight for safe and equitable conditions — even when facing basic obsta- cles like distance. San Bernardino County is more than 20,000 square miles (the largest county in the nation) and while virtual meet- ings have helped to make distance less of an issue, there's still no substitute for building together in person. Even at a fifth of the size, Cruz says the geography of San Diego County can be challenging. "We try to have in-person events around the county and in multiple locations," she says. County office local association leaders also meet regularly statewide and regionally to discuss their unique issues and collaborate on approaches. Cruz says that while they tend to be overlooked, county offices serve the most underserved students and have the greatest potential for impact. "If you send kids to us, they 're in good hands," Cruz says. "A lot of educators in the county office never leave. I think so much of that has to do with a passion for serving the underserved." —San Diego County Association of Educators President Steph Cruz Association of County Employees members rally for safety in Spring 2023. 46 cta.org Advocacy