Our working conditions are student’s learning conditions.

When we come together we can build a better school!

1. A school with a sustainable workload and a culture of support!
   • Teachers have been asked to do so much with so little in “normal times” let alone a pandemic that has us working long hours over zoom, reshaping our lessons, and working long hours after school and on the weekends for our students. The righteous dedication to do all we can for students and families should not be allowed to be exploited. Every facet of our work deserves recognition, and every worker’s voice should be empowered to make our school and our work better for all. Turnover staff isn’t good for our students. By unionizing, we are organizing systems to ensure that our important work is made sustainable, so we can continue for years to come.
2. A school free of oppression and harassment!
   • Caliber’s values are often tied back to ideals of equity, collective responsibility, and validation of the strengths of every individual. Despite these worthy ambitions, Caliber is structured hierarchically and lacks systems of protecting and uplifting the majority of stakeholders. As Caliber’s workers, we have a responsibility to come together and ensure staff can lead the way on making sure our schools are safe and respectful to all people. There is power when staff come together to make sure we have a community free of discrimination and that we can stand up as a community against racism,all forms of discrimination, and systems of power that appoint power to few at the cost of the many.
3. A school where all teachers, staff, students, and families get a voice!
   • Think about the major decisions that affect our school, such as how to get funding (e.g. administering the MAP for certain donors), to how to spend funds (e.g. what technology will be purchased, how the pay scale will be structured), what curriculum we use, how staff will be hired, evaluated, fired (at will), how we define and measure success, and so on. Currently, every major decision is made by the Caliber Board of Directors, SSO, and school admin. They may have solicited feedback more or less on some decisions, but the decision making power is ultimately and exclusively theirs. We believe that decisions that affect our community should be made with our community, rather than dictated to our community. By forming our union we are building democracy at our school, so that your voice and opinions are heard at the bargaining table. Together, we get to make sure teachers, staff, students, and parents are ensured a seat at the table of all major decisions relating to our working conditions and our students’ learning conditions.