JOHN SWETT AWARD FOR MEDIA EXCELLENCE IN CA PUBLIC EDUCATION
Our own community’s educators in Belmont-Redwood Shores put a spotlight on California’s Silicon Valley (Bay Area) educators by launching a campaign about the struggle of affording to teach in the region’s public schools with inadequate raises & health care support.
WINNER! We won the John Swett Award for Media Excellence in CA Public Education.
Stephanie Chuang covered our rally in the NBC Bay Area News Story: “Teachers rally in Belmont over higher pay, benefit contributions”. Her piece explores the rally and successful contract campaign fight by our Belmont-Redwood Shores educators – priced out of their high-cost city due to inadequate raises and health care support. The campaign by the Belmont-Redwood Shores Faculty Association included mobilizing the public and releasing polling data about teachers having to hold second jobs to make ends meet. The news media coverage was also published in the respected Columbia Journalism Review in the Summer of 2015. More still needs to be done as awareness continues to spread about the need to increase salaries and benefits contributions for Silicon Valley educators. . .see a more recent article from The Atlantic entitled “Is the Silicon Valley Driving Teachers Out?“.
CAMPAIGN INFORMATION
“Teachers seek more pay: Belmont-Redwood Shores School District in negotiations since 2012” – San Mateo Daily, 4-18-14
“Belmont teachers to protest: Contract negotiations have been ongoing since 2012” – San Mateo Daily, 10-23-2014
“Belmont teachers get contract: Deal with district means retroactive raises total 5 percent, health benefits increased” – San Mateo Daily, 11-12-14
Belmont teachers read to accept raise: Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District agrees to 4 percent pay hike, plus increased medical contributions” – San Mateo Daily, 6-2-15