The Saddleback Valley Educators Association (SVEA) is the local union for
the credentialed employees of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District
that are not administrative employees. SVEA represents more than 1600
credentialed teachers at the current time. The local chapter of SVEA is an
affiliate of the state organization (California Teachers Association, or CTA)
and the national organization (National Education Association, or NEA).
SVEA maintains a suite of offices to serve its members in the Alicia Office
Park in Laguna Hills, right off Alicia Parkway. You may contact SVEA at
25201 Paseo De Alicia, Suite 150
Laguna Hills, CA 92653-4659
Telephone: (949) 951-5373
Fax: (949) 951-3848
The office suite contains a large meeting room where SVEA Association
Representatives meet twice a month during the school year to establish SVEA
policy, bring member concerns to the SVEA officers and leadership and to gain
information from the local, state and national levels to communicate back to
those whom they represent. There are currently 70 Association Representatives,
who are elected annually on the basis of a 25 to one ratio or major fraction
thereof, with no site having less than one representative. In addition to
representation of teachers at each specific site, there are also
representatives, for Special Education, Elementary Fine Arts and Guidance.
The SVEA Executive Board also meets twice a month during the school year,
plus additional special sessions, as needed. This Board implements the SVEA
policies, performs the day-to-day governance activities, and manages the
operations of the SVEA office. The Executive Board is composed of 13 elected
voting members plus the SVEA Executive Director, who is a CTA staff
representative and a non-voting consultant to the Executive Board.
The SVEA President maintains an office in the suite, as does the SVEA Vice
President, Treasurer, and Contract Co-Managers. The SVEA President, currently
Greg Swenson, an English teacher at Trabuco Hills High School, is released
from his teaching duties for 40% of each day to conduct the business of the
association.
SVEA has eight standing committees, whose members are volunteers willing to
devote their personal time to the activities that make SVEA better able to
serve its diverse membership population. The committees are:
