The union for a South County school district announced late Wednesday that teachers had authorized a strike.
The strike vote comes after 20 months of negotiations, according to the union, which have resulted in an impasse with the South Bay Union School District.
Teachers’ unions across the state have been in similar struggles with other districts. In San Diego Unified School District, the union announced a one-day strike while negotiations were ongoing.
The Southwest Teachers Association, which represents teachers in South Bay Union School District, does not yet have a start date for its strike.
Norma Sahagun, bargaining chair and special education teacher for moderate to severe disability, said the district is prioritizing management over teachers and students.
“It’s not a money problem,” she said. “It’s just a budget problem, and a priorities problem.”
She is a special education teacher and said the district is losing special education teachers to districts with better compensation.
“Our students are now being impacted by not having those qualified teachers,” she said.
She said the two sides have spent 20 months negotiating for a one-year reopener for the 2024-25 school year. The union’s contract expired in June.
In a statement provided by Amy Cooper, executive assistant to the superintendent and special projects, the district said it is disappointed the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement after more than a year of negotiations.
“We value our staff and feel that we are meeting our goal to ensure highly competitive salaries in all job classifications given the district’s revenue limitations,” the statement said.
The district said it is hopeful that fact-finding meetings next week will help reach a “collaborative resolution” with the district.
Sahagun said she is also hoping those meetings are fruitful.
“It’s just that the school district and the superintendent need to prioritize students and staff,” she said.