FEATURE
We Are Essential
We Are Essential
CSEA members step up to serve their communities
It has now been a year since the pandemic dramatically changed our lives in ways we never could have predicted.
The past year has been particularly challenging for you, our members, many of whom are still working on-site and who have had to find new ways to meet the needs of your districts and the 6.2 million students and families you serve across the state of California. True to form, you continue to be resilient, rising to the challenge of these unprecedented times.
CSEA recently released this video, aptly named “We Are Essential”, as part of a campaign to raise awareness with decision makers and the public about the critical role classified employees play in making a school district and its sites run smoothly.
In the video, you will hear from students, teachers, parents, and administrators who share how classified staff have positively impacted their lives, and from classified staff on why they love serving their students and communities.
A common theme throughout the piece is classified employees connect with students through different means, whether it’s academic or emotional, to ensure their success and well-being.
In this section of Focus Magazine, we are sharing stories of members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty during these unprecedented times.
We hope you find these stories of your union sisters and brothers, who shine a light during these challenging times, inspirational and remind you that, through the struggles, we are all in this together.
INJIN JUN
Santa Cruz COE member rises from the ashes to help others in need
Amidst the smoke that engulfed the Santa Cruz area on August 20 of last year, Injin Jun, treasurer with Santa Cruz COE Chapter 484, rose from the ashes to go above and beyond to help her union brothers and sisters. Jun is the Department Coordinator/Fiscal Accountant for the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project, which provides induction support and training for new teachers.
KENNETH DEJONGE & ALFONSO ARTEAGA
Members erect 20-foot tower to bring Internet to students
With the onset of distance learning and working from home that began last year, seemingly overnight there was an explosion of users on mobile data networks. CSEA members and their colleagues found themselves having to navigate online platforms that they had never seen before to work with students adapting to a virtual learning environment.
MARIA JULIA VALADEZ-BANDA
Member makes 600 masks to keep her extended family safe
At the beginning of the shelter-in-place order issued last year, Maria Julia Valadez-Banda with Charles T. Kranz Chapter 430, was assigned to stay home due to being in a high-risk category. The instructional aide and assessment assistant of more than 47 years was no longer reporting to work for her safety, but she found she couldn’t sit by idly.
SUSAN McGOVERN
El Dorado secretary provides a lifeline for students
There is no doubt that schools are a lifeline for homeless students. During a normal school year, they provide warmth, nutrition, transportation and a well-rounded education for those who enter their gates every weekday.
Susan McGovern, Secretary III with El Dorado Union High Chapter 267, helps support her district’s most vulnerable students, including homeless and foster youth...
SUSY CORTEZ
Member makes increased food distribution a reality
The Mark Twain saying, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life” doesn’t ring truer than with Susy Cortez of Santa Clara Chapter 350. Last May, after serving nearly four years as a secretary, she found her calling as a family involvement facilitator of the district’s Family Resource Center, and she hasn’t looked back.
