About Sunnyside Education Association
Sunnyside Education Association is recognized by the SUSD Governing Board as the professional union for all certified staff. If you are on the teacher salary schedule or the PNT schedule, SEA is your voice for negotiating better wages and working conditions. This includes classroom teachers, specialists, counselors, psychologists, SLPs, teacher coaches, ABSS and other positions on the PNT salary schedule.
SEA is dedicated to preserving quality public education for students in all zip codes. By improving working conditions and benefits, and upholding high standards of professionalism and development of highly qualified professional educators, you serve your Sunnyside students and communities better.
Here is a little more about who you are, and some of the things you have accomplished together.
Our Mission
SEA works together in a unified and cooperative effort to assure that the future of public education is healthy and strong, focusing our collective interest to promote a positive learning environment for all students and a rewarding work climate for all employees.
Our purpose
To form a representative body to bargain for all members
To advance professional rights and status of members
To negotiate with the district to improve professional salaries, benefits and work environments
To promote and support the development of highly qualified professional educators
Money Matters In 2015, SEA launched its Campaign to Professionalize Teacher Salaries. You showed up in mass at Governing Board meetings to share stories of how low affect your lives, your families, and your job performance. Every Sunnyside school site participated and showed solidarity with the campaign at Board meetings and on social media. When you show up, we can make a big change! As a result, the Governing Board made a commitment to increase SUSD teacher pay. SEA continues to bargain for regular increases every year. Sunnyside is the district with the highest average teacher pay in Pima county! Source: Arizona Auditor General
Protect planning time
In 2018, SEA began to raise the the issue of protecting individual and collaborative planning time for all classroom teachers.
For Sunnyside elementary teachers, planning time was non-existent prior to the 2020-21 school year. In 2020-21, SEA pushed for full time elementary specialists using COVID (temporary grant) money. With the historic success of the override during the 2023-24 school year, these important specialist positions are now funded for the next 5 years.
SEA signed a written agreement with the district (Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)) guaranteeing $30/hour for teachers that are pulled to sub during their planning time.
Here for you, always.
One of the benefits of membership is something we do not necessarily like to think about: what happens if I am charged with disciplinary action, or something happens in the classroom and I am threatened with a lawsuit?
SEA members are represented by their Site Reps under these circumstances - almost like having a lawyer in the room (disclaimer: not an actual lawyer!). The Site Reps can speak on your behalf and advocate for you, so when the going gets tough, you can stay calm and focused knowing someone has your back.
Equitable Funding
In March 2020, the Sunnyside school board unanimously passed a SEA resolution for Equitable Public Education Funding. The resolution not only calls on the governor and the legislature to prioritize robust and equitable public education funding, but also calls on the business community within SUSD to address and remediate the lack of funding for schools in Sunnyside District.
WIN! Although it is inadequate ($50M in new statewide funding for FY23 only works out to $86/student), the 2022 state budget created a new Group B formula weight in the state funding formula for low SES students who qualify for the federal Free and Reduced-Price Lunch program or an equivalent program.
You can be part of the great work SEA is doing, and have the support of membership.
SEA Leadership
Next Elections: Spring 2024
Mari Martinez, President (Ocotillo)
Hilaria Szelog, Vice President (Los Amigos)
Rachael Eggebeen, Secretary (Apollo)
Patti O'Rourke, Treasurer (Sunnyside)
Lisa Hernandez, Advocacy Chair (Sierra)
Rachael Eggebeen, Communications Chair (Apollo)
Stacy Eilander, Membership Chair (Sierra)
Hennessy Miller, Social Chair (Sunnyside)
Open Leadership Positions:
Advocacy Chair, Instruction & Professional Development Chair, Political Action Chair - Contact your site rep if you are interested in any of these positions