San Diego Unified School District News Releases: CA Urban School Districts Call for Sustained Education Investments in 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: James Canning
313-580-2845 / jcanning@sandi.net

Editor Note: Attached is the letter sent to Governor Gavin Newsom

CA Urban School Districts Call for Sustained Education Investments in 2026–27 State Budget
Leaders urge full Proposition 98 funding, local flexibility, and investments for other needs

SAN DIEGO (DECEMBER 18, 2025) — Leaders of eight large California urban school districts today advocated to California Governor Gavin Newsom urging sustained and strategic investments for public schools in the 2026-27 state budget.

The letter, dated December 17, 2025, from Fresno Unified, Los Angeles Unified, Long Beach Unified, Oakland Unified, Santa Ana Unified, San Bernardino City Unified, San Diego Unified, and San Francisco Unified asks the state to take many actions, including providing an adequate cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA), modernizing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to meet current economic realities, provide flexible funding to support local priorities, and delivering more funding for special education programs.

Representing districts that serve more than 15 percent of California's students, these urban district leaders offered the following recommendations for the development of the 2026–27 state budget:

Fully Fund the Proposition 98 Guarantee: Ensure all of the state's 2026-27 protected education funding is used to support students and public schools as intended.
Use One-Time Funds to Eliminate Deferrals and Increase Local Flexibility: Eliminate prior-year payment deferrals and fully fund the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant. Any remaining funds should be provided to districts with maximum flexibility through a higher-than-required COLA or a discretionary block grant to sustain effective local programs and close achievement gaps.
Strengthen and Increase Investments in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF): Fund the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) above the statutory minimum to help districts manage rising costs for health care, pensions, insurance, and labor agreements—especially as declining enrollment diminishes the impact of the COLA; and modernize LCFF because current low-income thresholds no longer capture the needs of many California families.
Provide Relief for Immigration-Related Impacts: Urge the State to mitigate the fiscal effects disruptions from federal immigration enforcement are having on schools.
Invest in Special Education and Behavioral Supports: Increase funding support for students with moderate and severe disabilities, and invest in early learning behavioral supports.

"I join my fellow urban school district superintendents in urging Governor Newsom to provide the sustained funding we need to serve our students both academically and with their social-emotional needs, as we continue to close opportunity gaps and prepare the next generation of leaders," said Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her. "Districts need flexible funding to address local priorities, along with strategic investments in special education programs and to mitigate immigration-related impacts, declining enrollment and ongoing financial uncertainty."

"California's largest urban school districts are united in urging the state to protect the academic progress our students have made," Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, Los Angeles Unified School District, said. "Fully funding Proposition 98, strengthening the Local Control Funding Formula and providing districts with flexible resources are essential to closing opportunity gaps and sustaining student success, especially amid fiscal uncertainty and potential federal cuts."

"Public schools are the heart of our communities, and sustained investment is what allows us to serve and support our students," said Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Jill A. Baker. "As the state considers the 2026–27 budget, we respectfully urge Governor Newsom to protect and sustain funding for public education. These investments translate directly into critical academic and social-emotional student supports, and stronger outcomes for families in Long Beach and across California."

"Urban school districts are experiencing the impacts of the economy, federal funding changes, declining enrollment, and immigration issues more than other California districts because we have more students, and more students and families impacted by these challenges in their own lives," said Oakland Unified Superintendent Dr. Denise Saddler. "Oakland Unified joins our fellow urban districts in calling on Governor Newsom to provide more support to enable all of us to serve our students and communities in the way they need and deserve."

"The common focus of all our priorities is to ensure that the State maintains a priority for urban school students who are increasingly facing the challenges of poverty and an array of social issues," said Mauricio Arrellano, Superintendent San Bernardino City Unified School District.

"Looming uncertainty around federal education funding requires the state to provide California public schools fiscal certainty. State investments are essential for us to be able to continue our momentum of improving student outcomes and closing persistent opportunity gaps," said Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District. "All of the investments outlined in our letter are important, but we are very focused on special education programming. The underfunding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is taking a financial toll on our budget."

"I am thrilled to represent San Francisco in this coalition of superintendents across California to strengthen investments for our public schools. We look forward to working with our state leaders to secure a bright future for every student in our care for generations to come," said Superintendent Dr. Maria Su, San Francisco Unified School District.

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