Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1533049
INADEQUATE PAY Julia Sayavong is a TK teacher and member of San Jose Teachers Association; she is an auxiliary site representative. "I had to move in October 2024. My landlord raised the rent each year, so when the lease was up at our apartment my partner and I had to find some- thing that was more affordable. "It was hard to find a place within our budget. Our new place is 700 square feet, smaller than our old place by 100 square feet, with no closet space, for the same price. Everything is close to $3,000 a month. This is normal for the Bay Area. "I have two side jobs: I help a parent with their child every two weeks on Zoom, and I babysit. I used to tutor. I'm also getting my master 's in early childhood education. I'm already in debt from my undergrad education. With my master 's degree I will get another $3,000 a year in salary, or $250 a month. " The amount of work I have to do for an extra $250 a month — I should just babysit more. I just started with a new family for five babysitting sessions. I'll get paid $1,000. This is really sad. " The extra income from my side jobs helps me pay my credit card and student loans, of which I still owe $15,000. I have to be really disciplined: meal preps, Costco gas, no Uber eats. "I love my job, I love my community, I love where I'm at, but can I really stay here and what would I have to sacrifice? I can stay now because I have a partner — it's hard by your- self; I have a teacher friend whose whole paycheck goes to pay bills." CLASS SIZE Wendy Criner teaches English and ELD at Western High School in Anaheim. A member of Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association (ASTA), she is a site rep, bargaining team member and CTA State Council delegate. "Our feeder junior high Orangeview, with 350–400 students, was closed and will move to our campus next year. We've been told that we need to get down to 1,400 students total to have enough space for every- one. (Western alone has 1,450 students.) "We don't have language in our current contract that caps class period limits. A teacher 's cap for the entire day is 195 students — an average of 39 per class. Class sizes in ELD classes are small — but that means other classes can have 43 students. I have 43 in a freshman English honors class. We have math and science classes with similar numbers — one science class had 50 kids in a class designed for 40 for weeks. Students who get attention are the ones participating or acting inappropriately. We're expected to teach our curriculum to all these stu- dents in 55 minutes. "Class caps need to be bargained to make sure we're holding to reasonable and effective limits — ASTA is looking into this. "Western is a community school so we make sure kids get clothes, glasses or dental work when they can't afford it. We are a loving staff. The problem is that it's exhausting. We're suckers for the job we do, but we're getting really tired." We Can't Wait launch day at Del Mar Elementary in Santa Cruz; Live Oak Elementary Teachers Association President Lauren Pomrantz is standing fourth from right. "We are a loving staff … but we're getting really tired." —Wendy Criner, Anaheim Secondary Teachers Assn. 18 cta.org Feature Julia Sayavong Wendy Criner