STORY: The Learning Curve: San Diego Unified’s Christmas Wish List from Sacramento
The week before Christmas, leaders of California’s large urban school districts dispatched a wish list to their version of Santa – Gov. Gavin Newsom. San Diego Unified Superintendent Fabiola Bagula was among those leaders.
The list included changes to how schools were funded and changes to transitional kindergarten requirements. Here’s a preview of what district leaders were hoping to see in Newsom’s upcoming budget.
On School Funding
One of the districts’ budget asks is for the state to begin to fund schools based on enrollment rather than on average daily attendance. California is one of only seven states that funds schools based on average daily attendance which, in the age of post-Covid chronic absenteeism, means schools miss out on a lot of money because of student absences.
On Transitional Kindergarten
In the wish list sent to Newsom, however, district leaders asked for something else: increased funding for transitional kindergarten, so adult-to-child ratios can be reduced.
Ratios have stayed at 12:1 for the past couple of years but were slated to be reduced to 10:1 this year. That reduction could have been nixed had the state’s budget situation looked more dour, but in a preview of his proposed budget Newsom announced his transitional kindergarten program will be fully funded.
On Special Education Funding
There seems to be a perennial shortage of teachers in states like California, but no educator is in shorter supply than those who work in special education. In the letter to Newsom, districts pleaded for an increase in funding for special education services.
On Immigrant Families
With President Donald Trump returning to the White House, concerns about whether he’ll follow through with his promises to deport millions of undocumented people living in America have hit schools hard. Attempting to protect immigrant students and families was the last priority on the list, but the letter didn’t include a specific ask. In fact, it mostly just praised the proactive steps Newsom’s administration has taken to “Trump-proof,” California.
“Our districts stand ready to partner with your administration to protect students and families from oppressive and unjust immigration actions,” the leaders wrote.
Click link to read entire article: https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/01/08/the-learning-curve-san-diego-unifieds-christmas-wish-list-from-sacramento/