San Diego Education Association

What San Diego Education Association does

San Diego Education Association (SDEA) is a private, nonprofit labor union representing approximately 6,000 certificated educators employed by the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), including teachers, counselors, nurses, psychologists, and education specialists. SDEA operates as the exclusive collective bargaining agent for this group under California public-sector labor law, and is structurally affiliated with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association (NEA), which provide state and federal legislative capacity, member benefits, and institutional infrastructure. The union is governed by elected member representatives, with a small staff of approximately 15 employees led by President Kyle Weinberg and Executive Director Anthony Saavedra, supported by a 15-person bargaining team and site-based representatives at each of the district's 180+ schools and programs.

SDEA's core functions are collective bargaining, contract enforcement, grievance representation, and member advocacy around staffing, compensation, special education caseloads, and workplace conditions. Its member-facing offerings include The Advocate newsletter, Know Your Rights educational resources, 2025-2027 contract resources, professional development and scholarships, retirement planning assistance through CalSTRS and PARS partnerships, and the statewide We Can't Wait campaign coordinated with 80,000+ California educators. The union also convenes the Education Justice Coalition with community organizations (ACCE, CPI, San Diego Labor Council) to advocate on housing stability, community schools, and equity issues. SDEA's core technology is non-proprietary — standard web publishing, email, and social media channels — with no commercial products, APIs, or software platforms.

SDEA's revenue model is single-stream subscription/recurring membership dues collected from represented educators through payroll deduction under union security provisions. There is no pricing variability, no freemium model, and no commercial revenue diversification. The union's 2025-2027 contract campaign, which secured a 5% pay raise, enforceable Special Education caseload caps, and a no-layoffs clause at 93% member ratification, and the December 2025 strike authorization at 90.09% approval, indicate an organization with strong member engagement and effective bargaining capacity, though its long-term trajectory is structurally bound to SDUSD enrollment and staffing levels.

Name

San Diego Education Association

Legal name

San Diego Education Association

Website

https://sdea.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Diego Education Association (SDEA) is a nonprofit teachers' union representing approximately 6,000 certificated educators in the San Diego Unified School District, affiliated with CTA and NEA, delivering collective bargaining, contract enforcement, grievance representation, professional development, and advocacy campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: SDEA operates as a membership-based union funded through dues paid by represented educators. Members include teachers and education professionals in San Diego Unified School District who pay union dues as a condition of employment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Diego Education Association is the exclusive labor union representing more than 6,000 certificated educators in the San Diego Unified School District. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements, processes grievances, provides professional development, scholarships and grants, retirement planning support, and publishes The Advocate newsletter, while coordinating broader advocacy campaigns such as We Can't Wait. Membership is funded through member dues paid by represented educators.

Product overview

San Diego Education Association is a teachers' union serving educators in San Diego Unified School District. The union offers its approximately 6,000 members a portfolio of services including union representation and contract enforcement, professional development through scholarships and grants, retirement planning assistance, Know Your Rights educational resources, The Advocate publication, and advocacy campaigns such as the We Can't Wait initiative. The union also partners with community organizations through the Education Justice Coalition. SDEA does not offer commercial technology products; its offerings are member services focused on labor advocacy, professional development, and collective bargaining support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership & Collective Bargaining Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% member ratification of 2025-2027 contract with over 5,000 participating members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• California Teachers Association (CTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide teacher union affiliate providing access to Institute for Teaching (IFT) grants for member classroom projects, professional development resources, legislative advocacy at state level, member benefits programs, and coordination on statewide contract campaigns including We Can't Wait initiative.
• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational teacher union affiliate providing legislative advocacy at federal level, research and policy resources, member benefits, and connection to nationwide educator movements.
• Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collecting educator input on AI policy in education through surveys to inform policy solutions. SDEA collaborating on research to shape AI regulations affecting schools.
• Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner through Education Justice Coalition. Received CTA Institute for Teaching Community Organizing Grant to support SDEA with community organizing. Joint trainings on community organizing tactics including general strike education.
• Education Justice Coalition of San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of educators and community allies fighting for shared priorities including community schools, housing supports, and education justice. SDEA members participate alongside families and community organizations in coordinated advocacy campaigns.
• San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral labor council coordinating union activities across the region. SDEA participates in annual holiday food and toy drive for union families and coordinates on political endorsements and labor community actions.
• Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS)minorOthersRetirement services provider facilitating Supplemental Early Retirement Program (SERP) informational sessions for members considering retirement options.
• High Tech Education CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion representing certificated and classified staff at California's second-largest unionized charter network. SDEA endorsed candidate Hayden Gore was previously organizer and first union president at this organization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Federation of Teachers: Represents educators in New York City public schools as an AFT affiliate. A direct peer to SDEA in scale and complexity given its massive single-district membership and comparable contract negotiation, grievance, and political advocacy functions.
• United Teachers Los Angeles: Represents more than 35,000 educators in Los Angeles Unified School District, making it the closest direct peer to SDEA as a large urban California teacher union with comparable collective bargaining, organizing, and member engagement structures.
• Sacramento City Teachers Association: The CTA/NEA-affiliated union for Sacramento City Unified School District educators. Comparable to SDEA as a single-district California teacher union operating in a state capital context with similar legislative and funding dynamics.
• Oakland Education Association: Represents educators in Oakland Unified School District and is affiliated with CTA/NEA. A direct peer to SDEA given its similar urban California context, CTA statewide coordination, and comparable contract campaign structure.
• Chicago Teachers Union: Represents more than 25,000 educators in Chicago Public Schools and is one of the most prominent AFT-affiliated teacher unions. A comparable direct peer to SDEA given its large urban district scope, frequent strike actions, and community coalition-building model.
• United Educators of San Francisco: The certificated educators' union for San Francisco Unified School District. Directly comparable to SDEA as a single-district California teacher union facing similar cost-of-living, housing, and urban education policy pressures.
• Long Beach Education Association: The CTA/NEA-affiliated teacher union for Long Beach Unified School District in Southern California. A direct peer to SDEA as another large single-district California teacher union operating in a similar urban Southern California context.

Broad incumbents

• California Teachers Association: The statewide parent organization of which SDEA is an affiliate. Operates broadly across California's teacher union ecosystem rather than at the local level, providing legislative advocacy, professional development, and member benefits that filter down to SDEA.
• American Federation of Teachers: The other major national teacher union federation, representing affiliate unions including CTU and UFT. Comparable to SDEA's broader ecosystem as the AFT counterpart to NEA, operating across state and local affiliates rather than directly bargaining.
• National Education Association: The national parent organization for SDEA through its CTA affiliation. Operates at a federal level across all U.S. states, providing nationwide advocacy, research, and member benefit infrastructure rather than local bargaining.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoEducationAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdeducators
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Diego Education Association