Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1508868
AROUND AEA 10 ADVOCATE | FALL 2023 Time for a Site Fight? D eveloping and carrying out campaigns at specific schools and worksites (as opposed to the district or state level) helps us grow our union and meet members where they're at. Site-based campaigns are a critical step in building the power we need to take on ambitious campaigns at the district and state level. is is not a new strategy—we're learning from what's worked for other unions, especially other education unions, across the country! Two recent stories help illustrate how site fights work. At Catalina High in Tucson, teachers realized that the schedule was creating difficulties for students and teachers alike. Short class periods meant that students were constantly switching from one class and one topic to another. And longer, in-depth lessons like science labs were almost impossible to teach. Teachers started talking among themselves, first in the math department, and then in every other department. rough many conversations and discussions, they settled on a proposal for a new schedule, which they brought to their administration. Administrators challenged them to put the proposal up for a vote. Because the teachers behind the effort had paid close attention to where their colleagues stood, they knew they'd win. And sure enough, 80% of the school backed the proposal, and their new schedule is now in effect. It's not always that simple. At Pueblo High in Tucson, educators identified safety as a top priority through a survey and aer EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR is a prestigious national award, created to recognize extraordinary school staff members who have a transformative impact on students, families, coworkers and their communities. e Arizona Education Association has named Steve Schaeffer, an instructional assistant at Kyrene de la Paloma Elementary School, as Arizona's official state nominee for this important national award. Congratulations to Steve and to his local, the Kyrene Education Support Professionals Association! We also want to recognize our amazing runner-up nominees, Kathy Almeida, Susan Cala, April Johnson, Anna Badilla, Cheryl Connor, Sheila Minder and Jacquie Treatch. ank you for all that you do for our students, our communities and our union! Congratulations to Our Nominee for Education Support Professional of the Year a particularly scary incident during which a gun was found on campus. Educators talked together across departments and roles and organized to push their school administration to act. But although administrators took some proactive steps in response, it proved difficult to generate meaningful progress without change at the district level—which is where educators have turned their attention now. Even in cases where an issue can't be fully resolved at the site level, starting at a specific school or worksite is critical to building the power we need to win. Oen, district or state level campaigns draw participation from the usual suspects, people who have been engaged with union work for years. But campaigns within a specific school or worksite can bring new people in and help them develop critical organizing skills. bit.ly/aea-site-fight Kyrene Education Support Professionals Association Cristobal Barajas, one of the leaders at Pueblo High, puts it this way: "You may know intellectually that the union's out there fighting for our pay, our benefits, everything else. But that seems very far off, as opposed to this is something that we are doing that the people in the union in the school are involved with. And it just makes it feel a lot more real." Check out our site fight guide at the link and learn more about how you can bring this approach to your campus.