A Santa Barbara Teachers Association annual teacher survey revealed that more than half of teachers want alternatives to tech-based instruction, and three out of four work at least five unpaid hours per week.
The teachers union will present these findings and more in its annual State of the Union report for the 2025-2026 school year at the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s board meeting Tuesday night.
The State of the Union report recommends several action items based on findings from a survey sent to educators in the district. About 71% of educators responded to the annual survey, representing a supermajority of the workforce.
About 57% of respondents, a majority of them secondary educators, expressed the need for alternative options to tech-based instruction.
“So much of what we see actually helping students who need support are one-on-one help, not interacting with screens.” York Shingle, the teachers’ union president, told the News-Press.
In junior high and high schools, educators responded that district-issued iPads have become a source of distraction for students, and that they negatively impact learning.
However, elementary educators responded differently. The iPads are not as distracting to learning; rather, they are especially useful in small-group instruction.
At the May 19 district board meeting, parents and teachers spoke against the district’s handling of device safety and reliance on technology-based instruction. In a move toward resolving these frustrations at the meeting, the district’s Balanced Learning and Technology Task Force recommended implementing policies such as blocking YouTube on the iPads.
Despite educators’ concerns about technology, the issue is not directly related to an increased workload, Shingle said.
Work overload was also a standout issue in the survey.
A majority of educators in the survey said they regularly work beyond their paid workday, which is also one of the top contributors to their stress.
The survey showed that 71% of the respondents said they work over five hours outside their paid workweek, with lesson planning as the most common task.
The union proposes that the district give teachers more time for lesson planning. It also recommends various scheduling changes and an end to certain class structures, such as combo classes, where teachers oversee two grades in one class.
The union presents several other specific suggestions relating to educators’ responses on salary, classroom behavior and professional development.
But its core recommendation is ultimately to include educators’ input more in the district’s decision-making.
A San Marcos High School teacher will present the report at the beginning of the district’s board meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, 720 Santa Barbara St.
