Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1535219
held rallies at each school board meeting this spring and is circulating a petition of support for educators and resources for Santa Ana students. "We have also been educating our parents about the budget and explaining what these layoffs will mean to our students and the SAUSD community," says Garner-Marcelo. "Losing positions that positively impact our students and programs will result in increased class sizes, lack of support and pushing students and families to other school districts." Q: What are your plans for the rest of the school year, and looking ahead to the next? Sonta Garner-Marcelo: SAEA will con- tinue to turn out for each board meeting, educate our members, visit sites and have conversations with parents and our commu- nity. We will also provide information about SAEA at local community events until the layoffs are rescinded and continue to collab- orate with our district to work on solutions that will not hurt our students, educators and community. Q: How can your fellow CTA members sup- port your fight to save jobs and the resources Santa Ana students need? SGM: CTA members can sign and continue to share our No Layoffs petition, which is available at cta.org/FFSA. Q: What would you like to say to locals across the state about organizing to fight educator layoffs? SGM: Now more than ever, we need to harness the power of our union. There is power in our connections and our commitments to each other. We can advocate for our students, professions and each other by standing united. We can't wait! Together in solidarity and strength, let's engage in these conversations, strategize our next steps and mobilize our communities. We are one! We need to support and defend each other and the schools that our students deserve. Santa Barbara Teachers Association SBTA started fighting the 79 layoffs they faced this year before they even existed — by establishing a Political Action Committee (PAC) and taking an active role in last year 's school board elections. After successful campaigns to elect district trust- ees, SBTA President Hozby Galindo says it's been crucial to leverage their relationships to save as many jobs as possible. " We do not currently have a majority on school board but with our successful campaign, we were able to force the district to rewrite their layoff proposal. They were going to lay off more people," Galindo says. "Right there on the spot, more jobs were saved before they voted on it. There's a lot of power in a PAC changing the makeup of a school board." After a lengthy school board meeting that went until 3 a.m., where SBTA members, students and community unsuccessfully pleaded with the board to not lay off teach- ers, SBTA has been a constant presence at meetings to call for rescinding those layoffs. So far, they have been success- ful in rescinding all but 10. "We're working all the way up to the May deadline for the RIF (Reduction in Force) finalization and Santa Barbara High School students, whose theater teacher received a RIF notice, were expected to perform at the district school board in April. Instead, they stood in silence for minutes before unfolding a sign that said, "If you defund the arts, there won't be any." The notice was later rescinded. "Losing positions that positively impact our students and programs will result in increased class sizes, lack of support and pushing students and families to other school districts." —SAEA President Sonta Garner-Marcelo 37 M AY 2 0 2 5 Hozby Galindo