{"id":224257,"date":"2026-03-17T21:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/224257\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T21:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:27:08","slug":"san-diego-unified-teachers-almost-walked-out-for-special-ed-staff-they-may-end-up-with-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/224257\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego Unified Teachers Almost Walked Out for Special Ed Staff. They May End Up with Less\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a San Diego Unified board meeting earlier this month, speakers lined up to decry layoffs proposed by district leadership amid its continued budget crisis. More than 200 positions were set to be eliminated. These were what\u2019s known as classified staff \u2014 everyone from custodians to classroom aides to secretaries and more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the public comment period, many attendees remained standing in a show of support. Then Kyle Weinberg rose to speak in opposition to the layoffs. As he walked to the podium, dozens of people sat down.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some in the room felt Weinberg had not only contributed to a growing divide in the district\u2019s labor sphere, but that the raises he\u2019d helped secure for teachers were to blame for the layoffs. It was a striking rebuke for Weinberg, who for eight years, has led the San Diego Education Association, which represents district teachers. It all comes as he runs for a third term atop the district\u2019s most powerful union.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen (Weinberg) makes comments that we\u2019re in solidarity and we have been for a long time, that\u2019s disingenuous,\u201d said Dawn Basques, the president of San Diego Unified\u2019s Office-Technical and Business Services union. Hers is one of the unions whose members\u2019 jobs were being cut. \u201cIt\u2019s not just that there hasn\u2019t been solidarity, it\u2019s that what he\u2019s done has hurt our members.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ultimately, staff lost the battle. The board unanimously approved the layoffs. But that added fuel to a fire that, until then had mostly simmered under the surface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, as teachers vote on new union leadership and a contract that some directly tie to the layoffs of classified staff, what was once internal turmoil is spilling into open view. The anger over the layoffs, and Wenberg\u2019s perceived role, could lead to new faces at the top of SDEA. It may also change the way SDEA \u2013 and its sibling unions \u2013 approach labor negotiations moving forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Labor Imbalance\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ThirdThird grade teacher Therese Leclerc with her students at Edison Elementary School in City Heights on Feb. 15, 2024. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego Credit: Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

When it comes to San Diego Unified labor negotiations, there\u2019s really only one game in town \u2013 SDEA. The union is by far the most powerful and influential in the district and has been for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the only union whose president and vice president get to go on paid leave to do their work. It\u2019s also the only union that plays an active role in elections for the five district trustees.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the members of the district\u2019s other unions, that power imbalance plays out both in schools each day and at the bargaining table, where they often feel like an afterthought, said Ed Lovato, president of the district\u2019s Operations Support-Services union. He represents everyone from maintenance workers to custodians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say no to us all day long, but they can\u2019t say no to the teachers. They give them everything they want,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cYou could just call us slave one, slave two and slave three, because that\u2019s how they look at us,\u201d he said, referring to himself, Basques and Miguel Arellano, the president of the district\u2019s paraeducators union.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the teachers\u2019 negotiating power has historically helped classified staff. That\u2019s because the district has what\u2019s called a me-too bargaining clause that guarantees that if one bargaining unit secures a raise, other units receive corresponding raises. So, even if classified unions didn\u2019t have the juice to negotiate raises on their own, they could usually rely on teachers to do the heavy lifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But their fates being tied to the teachers union has meant they\u2019ve had to just put up with whatever SDEA negotiates, even if it hurts their members. And according to them, it has.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Stepping on Classified\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The San Diego Unified School District office in University Heights on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. \/ Vito Di Stefano for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

The tentative agreement district officials reached with SDEA is a plum deal. At least for teachers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It grants them \u2013 and by virtue of the me-too clause, all other district employees \u2013 2.5 percent raises this year. It will also give them an additional 2.5 percent raise next year, assuming funding comes in as expected. But San Diego Unified is grappling with a structural budget deficit that\u2019s reached the tens of millions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another stipulation in the contract has caused additional heartburn: a promise that no certificated teachers will be laid off. But someone has to go, San Diego Unified Trustee Cody Petterson said in a recent interview on the VOSD Podcast<\/a>. That\u2019s where the trouble for classified staff really kicks in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou basically have to close positions or give raises \u2013 you pay more people less or less people more,\u201d Petterson said. \u201cThere\u2019s no other third way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many teachers, that trade off came as a shock. The pushback against the layoffs has been so significant that some teachers have threatened to vote down their own raises if it could mean keeping their classified colleagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe realization that our contract is why we\u2019re going to lose our classified colleagues is hitting our membership like a ton of bricks,\u201d said Shane Parmely, a longtime San Diego Unified educator and union activist. \u201cIt\u2019s motivated a lot of people to run (for union leadership) and it opened a lot of board members\u2019 eyes to the blatant disinformation that they\u2019ve been fed by our union president.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That shock was amplified because the contract\u2019s impact seemed to run counter to the union\u2019s rationale for its proposed strike in February<\/a>. SDEA leadership pitched the proposed strike as pressuring district administration to fully staff special education amid an ongoing unfair labor practice charge related to case managers being stuck with caseloads over their limit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But while SDEA was able to negotiate stipends for their members who are over caseload limits, the layoffs will likely eliminate the jobs of some of the classified staff who work alongside them in special education. Those include staff like paraeducators, who act as teacher aides on everything from management student behavior to leading small instructional groups.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While initial notices were issued, districts leaders will determine exactly which positions will be eliminated in the coming months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey bargained for a stipend that\u2019s worth more than a para educator makes that would be able to help out with their caseload,\u201d Arellano said. \u201cThings are going to get worse because there\u2019s more students that require services and there\u2019s not enough people to work with them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parmely put it simply: \u201cThe strike was sold to us as fully staffing special education, but it wasn\u2019t. It was about fully staffing SDEA.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weinberg disputes that claim, saying fully staffing schools means fully staffing classified staff as well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support our classified siblings in their push to be fully staffed and to push back on the layoffs. We also believe that the layoffs are unnecessary to balance the budget,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But what also came as a surprise to teachers was the fractured relationship between the district\u2019s classified unions and SDEA. Many had assumed the unions had worked together to negotiate the latest contract, but Arellano, Basques and Lovato said Weinberg completely cut them out of the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In fact, it wasn\u2019t until a couple of months ago that members of the SDEA\u2019s board found out that the relationship between their union and the classified unions had deteriorated so completely that some of the heads of the classified unions hadn\u2019t had meaningful conversations with Weinberg in more than a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Kyle was smart, he would have all of us together and we all would have conquered this beast. Instead, he just left us to sink,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cThey should have all known there was a problem and maybe attempted to work with us on the solution, but I feel like nobody around him knew.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

All three classified heads point to the same reason for the distance between their unions and SDEA \u2013 Weinberg. In their telling, he\u2019s repeatedly misled them and negotiated in ways that have explicitly harmed their members.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI started recognizing a pattern that this was someone who does not care how he gets what he gets and has no problem stepping on classified to do it. It grew to the point that we could no longer trust that we could work together.\u201d Basques said. \u201cAcross the district, we\u2019re not really valued and unfortunately, that\u2019s what Kyle (Weinberg) has emulated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weinberg did not directly respond to the claims by Basques and the other classified union heads, but he said that \u201cwe at SDEA are a social justice union and member of the Labor Council, along with CSEA. Our goal is always to collaborate with our local sister unions whenever possible because we truly believe that together we are stronger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018We Have to Do This Together\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in that charged atmosphere that the elections for SDEA\u2019s leadership \u2013 and a vote on the controversial contract \u2013 have unfolded. Both elections began last week and run through the end of this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least two slates of candidates are challenging Weinberg for what would be his third term, both of which feature familiar faces. Of SDEA\u2019s 15 current officers and board members, none are running as part of Weinberg\u2019s \u201cPeople Power\u201d slate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Current SDEA Treasurer Lisa Morris is running on a two-person slate with board member Amy Childs, for president and vice president respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s been the members of the \u201cGood Trouble\u201d caucus led by SDEA\u2019s current vice president, Monique Barrett who have been some of the loudest critics of both Weinberg and the negotiation tactics that produced the latest contract. The caucus also includes three other currently serving board members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barrett thinks the union should start approaching their work differently and work more closely with district families to figure out how to really move the needle. Doing that, though, requires thinking outside of the box.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at what\u2019s happened to our students \u2013 our Black families south of the 8 \u2013 how have we as SDEA helped them?\u201d Barrett asked. \u201cWe need to be asking \u2018do we really want a raise?\u2019 But we never ask that question.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But she also thinks the union is in need of greater transparency and accountability. That\u2019s especially true when it comes to Weinberg, who she said not only abandoned classified staff, but misled SDEA members about it. Barrett, on the other hand, has built a close relationship with the classified unions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s lied to our board and said SDEA stood by and supported classified staff. But in negotiations it was all about SDEA,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cIf we want to build and make the district and board members bend to the will of the people, we have to do this together and align our priorities together and stand united. That includes the classified staff.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weinberg also disputes that characterization, saying he strives to be open and transparent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have not been any intentional efforts to hide any information from anyone,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even given the disillusionment, Weinberg\u2019s challengers likely have their work cut out for them. His track record features some significant victories, not least of which is nearly 20 percent wage increases. He also touts the buildout of dozens of community schools, the passage of workforce housing, the establishment of a safe sleeping site, protection of fully paid family health benefits and more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be keep that progress going,\u201d Weinberg said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But SDEA isn\u2019t the only union that may come out on the other end of this turmoil changed. For the heads of the three classified unions, the experience has shown them they can\u2019t continue to rely on SDEA. What they need is to embrace each other and build their own power base.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t be easy. The dependence on SDEA has existed for a long time, but the trio have already begun to align their goals in an attempt to step out of their big sibling\u2019s shadow. Already, that unity has made them feel stronger \u2013 and more important \u2013 than ever before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis culture needs to change. All of us are important and we should work together,\u201d Basques said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been the invisible workers for a long time,\u201d Arellano replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t think we should be invisible anymore,\u201d Basques added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated Posts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a San Diego Unified board meeting earlier this month, speakers lined up to decry layoffs proposed by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[15,74,76,75,75906],"class_list":["post-224257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-education","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-unified"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}