By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–Education leaders from San Diego Unified School District are making a strong push for the State of California not to withhold $5.6 billion in education funding because the district’s portion is needed to bolster early interventions, special education and staffing support.
San Diego Unified could receive about $90 million if Proposition 98 funds are released.
During a press conference at district headquarters Tuesday, school leaders and educators made their pitches, and launched a petition for San Diegans to support the release of the education funds.
“Releasing the full amount of educational funding is essential to strengthening early interventions and ensuring every child receives the support they need to succeed,” said Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District. “These investments allow us to expand professional development for educators and build a comprehensive system of tiered supports, so students get the right help at the right time. With adequate funding, we can ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive and that special education remains one of several effective, thoughtfully applied supports.”
Superintendent Bagula will travel to Sacramento on May 5 to advocate for full K-12 funding, which comes after the superintendent in early April joined other schools districts in making their case to Governor Gavin Newsom in writing.
The push comes ahead of Newsom’s expected May Budget Revise, which is expected to be released by May 14; and after year-to-date revenues have come in $8.6B above the governor’s January projections. The California State Senate’s “Foundation for the Future” budget plan called for the full restoration of K-12 education funding.
“Fully funding Proposition 98 isn’t optional, it’s a constitutional obligation and a moral one. When the state withholds these funds, it shortchanges students, undermines classrooms, and forces educators to do more with less while children pay the price,” said Richard Barrera, President, Board of Education, San Diego Unified School District. “Every dollar withheld is a missed opportunity to intervene early, support teachers, and give students the tools they need to succeed. Our students can’t afford delays, and their futures shouldn’t be negotiable.”
In the petition released by school district leaders it says: “…School districts rely on stable, adequate funding to hire and retain qualified educators, maintain class sizes, and provide the support services that drive student success. Delaying these funds would create unnecessary fiscal instability and jeopardize the progress students, families, and educators have worked hard to achieve. California’s students deserve sustained investment and a budget that keeps their future at the forefront…”
“The $5.6 billion owed to our schools under Proposition 98 is being withheld at a time when our classrooms are already stretched beyond capacity,” said Monique Barrett, president elect of San Diego Education Association. These are not abstract dollars. These are early interventions for our youngest learners. These are the supports that ensure students get what they need before they fall behind. These are restorative practices that build strong, safe, and connected school communities. These are the investments that sustain the educators and staff who make our schools work every single day.”
Others in attendance included Dr. Angelia Watkins, Director of Special Education, San Diego Unified; Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, San Diego Unified Board of Education; Trustee Alina Ngyuen, San Diego Unified Board of Education; Shana Hazan, Trustee, San Diego Unified Board of Education Cody Peterson, Trustee, San Diego Unified Board of Education; California School Employees Association Chapter 759 Paraeducators, California School Employees Association Chapter 724 Operations-Support Services, the Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools.
San Diego Unified is leading a coalition requesting the release of Prop 98 Funds. Below are excerpts of a letter sent on April 6 to Governor Newsom.
“Students in preschool and early elementary grades today experienced their most formative years during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This significantly disrupted early socialization environments and social-emotional development. Across the state, classroom educators are reporting sharp increases in disruptive behaviors compared to before the pandemic. These emergent behavioral challenges are especially notable in early grades, and particularly, in preschool and TK.
Districts have reported that increasing behavioral challenges are contributing to the rising identification of children for special education services. Statewide, growth in the number of students with disabilities is largely driven by significant year-over-year increases among students in preschool through third grade. Without a strong system of tiered social-emotional and behavioral supports, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) may be viewed as the only way to secure additional assistance for a struggling child, which risks prematurely placing students on a special education track.
Addressing these challenges is critical to set young learners up for success in school, and to ensure California’s historic investment in universal TK fulfills its potential to drive positive outcomes for the state’s youngest learners. Proactive behavioral support and early interventions offer a proven solution. Districts that embed robust behavioral supports and invest in educator capacity have reported drastic reductions in the number of students who proceed to assessment and are identified for an IEP after receiving tiered interventions.
A $500 million investment would be used to support proactive behavioral interventions and build educator capacity, leveraging strategies including:
● Development and implementation of strategies to address behavioral challenges in early learning classrooms.
● Implementation of a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) to provide tiered interventions in preschool through 3rd grade.
● Professional learning to build educator capacity in areas such as interpreting student
data, universal design for learning, and proactive behavior supports.
● Instructional and behavioral coaching to provide embedded support for classroom educators.
● Facilitation of collaboration between general education and special education educators to promote inclusion and shared responsibility.
● The development of data tools, such as MTSS dashboards, to monitor student progress and develop early warning systems.
This one-time investment would provide students with the support they need and equip educators with the long-term tools and training to create sustained systems of support. This investment provides a critical opportunity to build strong partnerships with families, aligning school- and home-based supports to holistically address behavior challenges, foster inclusion, and better serve all learners. By preventing premature assessments for special education services, these proactive strategies would support positive student outcomes and strengthen the long-term fiscal stability of California’s public education system. Leveraging available one-time Proposition 98 funding for these critical supports will maximize the impact of California’s historic investment in universal TK, equip educators to address emerging behavioral challenges, and keep our youngest learners on the path to lifelong success.
“We build our school plans, hire our staff, and support our students based on the expectation that Prop 98 funding will be there. When it’s not, we’re forced to make difficult decisions that directly impact students,” said Kristi Hunter-Clark, Vice President, Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools and Chollas Mead Principal. “Investing in education is investing in California’s future. When we support our schools, we’re building a stronger workforce, a healthier community, and a more equitable state.”
In March, San Diego Unified joined other school districts in California, in authoring a letter that requested Pop 98 funds be released. The other districts were Fresno Unified, Los Angeles Unified, Long Beach Unified, San Bernardino City Unified, and San Francisco Unified. In February, San Diego Unified joined an even larger coalition to oppose the withholding of the $5.6 billion.
