Santa Barbara Unified Teachers Bang the Drum for Better Pay

What is noisy, passionate, and about three blocks long? A procession of 600 pissed-off teachers and families marching to the sound of percussion and sax.

On Tuesday evening, this massive crowd made the mile-long trek from the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara to the Santa Barbara Unified School District office, in what was the largest action organized by the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA) thus far. 

As they marched down State Street in a manner that rivaled Tuesday’s Mardi Gras parades, their message was loud and clear, and had a great beat: “Fair pay, teachers stay.”

The SBTA and the school district are still locked in contract negotiations. Their salary dispute — which has attracted the attention of the wider community — recently led to an impasse declared on January 19 and the involvement of a state mediator, as well as Tuesday’s rally and march. 

“It’s been such a long time that teachers have really not been recognized, respected, and given the compensation they deserve,” said SBTA president Hozby Galindo. “They decided it’s time to take a stance. And here they are, showing that there’s power in collective solidarity.”

Teachers are approaching mediation with a sense of urgency, citing a “revolving door” of educators in the district. Both sides have expressed their intention to reach a fair settlement as soon as possible but they disagreed when it came to scheduling. 

Tuesday, February 13, was the earliest mediation date offered by the state, but the district elected to meet on March 5, the latest option, due to scheduling conflicts in February.

Galindo expressed disappointment with the wait time, saying that many teachers are asking for letters of recommendation now in preparation for leaving.

“We’re in the hiring cycle right now,” Galindo explained. “If we have open positions, we need to be able to attract people here for the benefit of students.” 

Chants during the march alluded to the state of negotiations, including: “Fifteen-eight would be great,” referring to the SBTA’s most recent proposal of a 15 percent raise this year and 8 percent the following year. 

The union’s dedication to that proposal is what led, in part, to the impasse. The school district’s best and most recent proposal was 9 percent this year and 4 percent the following year — 10 percent less than what the SBTA proposed. 

Once they reached the district office, teachers filed in for the school board meeting, ready to share the results of a survey of more than 600 teachers in the district. 

It found that about 40 percent need at least a second job to make ends meet, and more than 83 percent are “cost-burdened” or “severely cost-burdened” by Santa Barbara housing costs. 

For much of the first two hours of the meeting, educators took over the podium to address the board. It was a picture the board has seen repeatedly over the past year. Since April 2023, teachers, students, and parents have overwhelmed the board room in droves during several board meetings, conveying stories of strife around living on a teacher’s salary in Santa Barbara. 

The demonstrations, which began in the boardroom, have only grown. Tuesday could be seen as a kind of climax, depending on how mediation pans out next month. 

It was also one of the rare instances where boardmembers spoke back. 

“I know it’s really frustrating, and I know its been months of folks giving us public comment, and I’ve been hearing the same thing and I feel that struggle, I do,” said Board Vice Chair Gabe Escobedo to an emptier room, as many of the marchers had left after public comment. 

“And I wish there were more folks here to hear this,” he said, gesturing to the boardroom. “I know that it feels like it’s impossible to focus on anything else when you’re worried about feeding and protecting your family and trying to pay the bills.”

He paused and caught his breath before concluding, “And at the same time, I need folks to understand — I feel very comfortable in saying that — this board and this cabinet and this superintendent, we care about our employees.” 

Escobedo was appreciative of hearing educators’ personal stories. However, he explained that there’s a bigger picture, as they just had their first negotiation session with their other labor partner — the California School Employee Association (CSEA) — who make up some of the “lowest-paid employees in the district,” such as custodians and bus drivers.

The district and the CSEA had their first negotiation session on February 8, coming out on the other side with tentative agreements on sick leave and bereavement leave, and a proposal from the district to cover 75 percent of costs for medical benefits (an increase of 15-30 percent). 

“These are things that the board needs to grapple with,” Escobedo added. “And you do not want us negotiating from the dias.… I want us to understand that we’re on the same side of the issue.” 

Other boardmembers echoed Escobedo’s sentiments, asking for understanding and patience, and acknowledging the difficulty of negotiating while expressing gratitude for teachers’ commitment to bringing their struggles to light.   

Board President Wendy Sims-Moten said it saddens her to feel “so divisive, and we’re so emotional in how we’re going to figure this out.” 

“We cannot get through it unless we get there together,” she said. Sims-Moten emphasized respect as negotiations move forward, in response to some of the aggressive or rude comments made toward the boardmembers during meetings. 

“And I know it feels like we’re apart and maybe we’re not hearing each other,” she continued. “Using this impasse as an opportunity, perhaps we could hear each other.… We just got to figure out how to listen to each other.”