By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–San Diego Unified Superintendent (Interim) Dr. Fabi Bagula and two Board of Education Trustees will travel to Washington, D.C. this week to relay the critical need to protect vital federal funding and services for the state’s second-largest school district to ensure the continued progress and success of its students.
Dr. Bagula and the trustees plan to meet with San Diego’s Congressional representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.
School officials are concerned that proposed cuts to Medicaid, school nutrition programs, and key education funding streams threaten to undermine the groundwork already laid for the upcoming school year and beyond. They warn the cuts would place burdens on the students and families the district serves.
“Federal funding is not a luxury for any school district, and the risk of losing the minimum level received in the past would unfairly and negatively affect our highest-need students through no fault of their own,” said Dr. Bagula. “Investing in students is investing in all of us, as the children of today will become the workforce and taxpayers of tomorrow. It benefits everyone to provide a student a high-quality, rigorous, well-rounded, and joyful education to best prepare them for the college or career of their choosing.”
San Diego Unified’s ability to meet its commitment to students is currently at risk and federal revenue accounts for approximately 6% of the District’s budget. The district recently made difficult decisions in closing a $176 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year, driven by the expiration of one-time funds, rising operational costs, declining enrollment, and increasing student needs. While the district has taken significant steps to mitigate this challenge—reducing vacant positions, improving identification of unduplicated students, and implementing an incentivized early retirement plan adopted by nearly 1,000 employees—difficult choices remain.
“The Board of Education has dealt with several dire financial situations over the nine years I’ve served at San Diego Unified, but never with this degree of uncertainty,” said Board Trustee Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne. “We are asking the federal government to provide fiscal stability so we can plan, implement, and carry out our commitments to students now, next year, and in the future.”
In addition to Trustee Whitehurst-Payne, Trustee Sabrina Bazzo will be accompanying Dr. Bagula on the March 22-25 advocacy trip to Washington, D.C., led by San Diego Unified Director of Government Relations, Dr. Sierra Cook.
San Diego Unified’s Board of Education and leadership team urge Congress to prioritize investment in all children by rejecting cuts to Medicaid and school nutrition programs, protecting funding for Title I, II, and III to support low-income students, educators, and English learners, increasing IDEA funding to better serve students with disabilities, and fully funding Impact Aid to support military-connected students.
In conjunction with the Council of Great City Schools, San Diego Unified’s contingent will also be attending three days of legislative/policy conferences to include other large, urban school districts. Topics to be addressed include federal funding for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond, policy proposals and action from the Trump Administration, and education priorities in the 119th Congress.
“With almost 100,000 students, San Diego Unified serves an incredibly rich and diverse population. Any drop in federal funding will impact students and their families across the board,” said Trustee Sabrina Bazzo. “Our schools are more than just buildings to teach the ABCs. They are foundational centers offering a wide range of educational, social, and community services to entire neighborhoods.”
