SEIU 1021 members who keep the Sonoma County Office of Education running picketed on Wednesday, Dec. 17 to advocate for students and staff alike. The proud public servants included special education teachers, teaching assistants, licensed vocational nurses, accounting technicians, and more.

Their message is clear: Students lose when bureaucracy grows, and the Superintendent should put students first!

Sonoma County Office of Education Superintendent Carter has laid off 9 teachers and 11 teaching assistants with more layoffs are expected. While their jobs have been cut, she’s added twelve new management positions each with six-figure salaries in the past two years.

“Superintendent Carter has chosen to prioritize staffing up bureaucrat executives over essential educators, dismantling the support system for our most vulnerable students,” said Association of Sonoma County Office of Education (ASCOE) President and Special Education Teacher Kalyn Ruland. “This is a profound failure of priorities.” 

While SEIU 1021 member and licensed vocational nurse Krystal Garcia said, “Our children in special education deserve nothing less than our highest commitment. Yet the very people who support, calm, guide, and protect them every day are stretched thin. Teaching assistants and support staff stay because they care deeply about these kids, but love alone can’t sustain a workforce. By laying off frontline staff while hiring bureaucrat execs, Superintendent Carter is hurting both educators and the students who rely on them. If our children are truly our top priority, then we must invest in the people who make their success possible.” 

Watch the ongoing SEIU 1021 and ASCOE ad campaign here and here.