FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact:
James Canning, jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845
Mike Murad, mmurad@sandi.net, 619-925-4790
SAN DIEGO UNIFIED REPRESENTATIVES HEADING TO STATE CAPITOL WEDNESDAY
TO ADVOCATE FOR DISTRICT PRIORITIES IN THE STATE BUDGET
Superintendent, Board President Among Those to Outline District’s Funding Priorities
SAN DIEGO (February 18, 2025) – The superintendent and board president of San Diego Unified School District are traveling to Sacramento Wednesday, Feb. 19 to personally illustrate the critical need for increased funding for the 2025-26 school year and demonstrate how the District’s 94,000 students may be negatively impacted without the necessary investment.
Superintendent (Interim) Dr. Fabi Bagula and Board President Dr. Cody Petterson plan to meet with state leaders to share the District’s priorities, and listen to key decision-makers regarding their considerations of the budget ahead of Gov. Newsom’s May Revise.
The meetings come on the heels of the recently-released NAEP scores across the country, known for more than half a century as the Nation’s Report Card. Districtwide, San Diego Unified students outperformed California and urban districts across the U.S. on math and reading.
“San Diego Unified students have shown significant progress in the classroom over the past year, and we urge the State to help support what we know is working to keep that momentum going,” said Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified Superintendent (Interim). “There are already a number of areas that would be directly and deeply impacted by insufficient funding, and of those, many will disproportionately affect students who most need that baseline, at a minimum, to continue their journey towards reaching their full potential.”
Key San Diego Unified Budget Priorities and State Advocacy:
- Fund the Cost of Living Adjustment at 2.93%, the level estimated by the state when the San Diego Unified budget was developed, rather than the lower 2.43% estimate included in the Governor’s January budget proposal.
- Increase the State investment to support students with disabilities.
- Provide funding to reduce TK classroom staffing ratios to 1:10, as proposed in the Governor’s January budget proposal.
- Provide adequate and reliable funding for extended learning programs.
- Raise awareness of the needs of middle school students, who receive the lowest amount of per-pupil Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funding of any grade span.
San Diego Unified has already taken significant steps in reducing its deficit from $176M to $112M through a number of strategies, including offering an early retirement incentive to employees. However, a pre-COVID deficit, increased level of student need, rising costs, and the expiration of one-time relief funds have all contributed to the current shortfall.
“With the help of an experienced budget team and in collaboration with our labor partners, we have implemented tough fiscal discipline measures, while shielding our classrooms from the impacts of reductions,” said Cody Petterson, Ph.D., San Diego Unified Board President. “But the reality is that roughly 90 percent of our funding comes from the State, and we welcome the opportunity to convey the critical financial needs we are facing as a District.”
The day-long agenda encompasses at least seven meetings with key decision makers and their staff, including:
- Office of the Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas
- Office of Assemblymember Alvarez, Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education
- Office of the Senate Subcommittee on Education Finance
- State Department of Finance
- Office of Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire
- Office of Assemblymember Muratsuchi, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Education
To learn more about San Diego Unified’s 2025-26 budget process, and to see various public workshops held to date, click here.
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Thanks,
Mike
Mike Murad
Public Information Coordinator
San Diego Unified School District
mmurad@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org
Mobile Phone: 619-925-4790
4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
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