Speakers and Staff from SDUSD
Fabi Bagula, Supt.; Shana Hazan, Board Trustee; and Enrique Ruacho, Chief of Staff for Supt. Bagula
Prior to the meeting, there was a discussion about elected board trustees. Shana is finishing her first of three 4-year terms. If Barrera becomes CA Supt. of Public Instruction, his job as trustee for SDUSD would be replaced through an appointment by the Board. His area includes N. and S. Park, City Heights and downtown. If anyone has a recommendation, please contact the Supt.
Update on the SD Unified School District since last year's presentation
Fabi commented that Shana is very dedicated and focuses on the students. Shana said Fabi cares so much about student success and wants to keep improving. She wants to build partnerships with groups like the LWVSD and provide opportunities for their members to get involved.
The District doesn't just teach students academic subjects but instills:
- Democracy so they can be informed voters, civic participants and community leaders.
- Economic stability - by attaining higher eduction, students will be linked into higher earnings as well as stability and will be contributing to the economy.
- Well-being because strong schools create safer neighborhoods, stronger families and a better workforce.
Some statistics:
SDUSD is the second largest school district in CA with a $1.9 billion operating budget, $1.6 million/day of voter-approved bond funds for school maintenance and construction, 176 individual school sites, the city's fifth largest employer with 12,000 staff and colleagues, and has a 91% graduation rate. Students come from 163 countries and speak 60 languages. 56% come from low-income families and 18% are in special education. The District
- has 25 language immersion schools
- 8 schools providing the International Baccalaureate curriculum
- provides 121 College and Career Technical education programs
- has several students who complete their diploma and their AA degree each year
- provides 187 free community college courses on high school campuses
- has 12 school-based health clinics
- has 25 community schools
- provides 82,000 free breakfast and lunches/day
- and provides no-cost after-school care for 20,000 students
The Board has goals and student outcomes which guide the District leaders and each school so everyone is aiming for the same outcomes. Site Plans for Student Achievement/SPSA and a 3-year Local Control and Accountability Plan/LCAP at each school provide some funding and are created with a lot of planning at each school. The community, staff, parents and students have input to these plans and help define the goals. One thing that came out of talking with community members is student wellness. Now the District is working on how to measure wellness and is interviewing individual students regarding body, mind, wellness, and responsibility to the community. Student feedback from partnerships with them is very valuable.
Another goal is literacy which is assessed in 3rd, 8th and 11th grades on a state test. Minorities are below standard: Blacks -49, English learners -62.4, Hispanics -33, special ed students -80, socio-economically disadvantaged -28, others around +55. From 2024 to 2025, all types of minority students moved up 3.6 to 11.5 points. Math has similar numbers. Both literacy and math scores are moving up faster than expected. There is a new math curriculum this year so now every school and teacher is teaching the same things to each grade level for 90 minutes/day. Fabi visits 5-6 schools/week and checks out that this policy is being carried forth. College and Career Readiness is making sure that each student's diploma is meaningful and that each high school is preparing students for college courses. Whites are at 83% and minorities are at 40-50% on a state assessment. Fabi is very goal-oriented and believes that student outcomes don't change till adults' behavior does. Shana added that low-performing students are not doing well because we adults aren't.
The District is currently finalizing their budget which is very dependent on the state budget. Currently, the Governor is withholding $3.9 billion while the Districts are asking that he release it. LWV could help encourage him to do so now. The School Board will vote on their final budget in June. Outcomes-based contracts are being checked now to be sure they are aligned with the Board's goals. The District is also working on a Safe Route to School because they lost a child this year to a traffic accident. Fabi is talking to each principal and asking them to assess safe routes to their school and asking the City to make improvements. They have visited each City Council member and given them a list of safety measures needed in their area. They might get some Federal funds for this project. Fabi has put a lot of personal time into this as it is very concerning to her. They are modernizing a safety plan with the police department and are starting to work with community groups. People could volunteer to be crossing guards. The District is also working on improving communication plans. They will share them with the LWVSD when they are done.
A real concern for the District is Special Ed. There is a large collaboration with parents. There were three studies done under three different previous Superintendents that basically all said the same thing, but no plan was devised. Now we have a plan. We need the League to advocate for full funding for the Individuals with Special Disabilities Education Act/IDEA. We only receive 10% of the cost. It's very expensive and yet the students' learning is only mediocre. We need three times the funding we are spending now; much of it comes out of the operating budget. English learners could benefit from help from speech and language teachers. Another issue is children who live with poverty. Affordable housing for the District's employees is a challenge so now they have a program where the District is issuing 99 year leases for six District-owned properties including the central office. Developers have bid on building affordable housing with amenities like childcare centers, swimming pools and gardens. The developer manages the buildings and collects the rents; a bit of it will come back to the District in time. After 99 years, the District will own all the buildings. No money from the District's budget will be spent on housing for staff and teachers. Fabi said they believe that educators should live where they teach. They received almost 30 bids for 5 properties and now have some employees living in Scripps Ranch but they are at the beginning stages of this project. SD is the only school district doing this in CA. They hope to attract families back to San Diego.
How can you volunteer? Read to students. Help with providing students walking routes to school. The curriculum campaign (not explained). Teaching voting & government concepts.
Discussion
- Who will run the childcare centers? Answer - TBD. Education Enrichment Centers could help.
- What if a resident in the District's housing changes jobs outside of the District? Answer: TBD
- The County Dept. of Education has data about the highest needs for childcare and could collaborate. They have some funding as well.
- How has TK affected children as they move on to other grade levels? Answer: They are learning the joy of school and are so curious - we want them to keep it. You can see they have grasped the concept of scholarly behavior. By looking at the behaviors in a K class, you can pick out the children who've been through TK. They have age-appropriate activities. The District has an Early Learning Task Force analyzing this question. Currently, there are about 5,000 children in TK. There are some waiting lists in certain schools, but most go to their neighborhood school. There are still growing pains; it's a new grade and we are still learning what things are developmentally appropriate for 4-year olds. We need to learn how to create conditions to keep them well.
- Tomorrow, the County-wide youth well being report is coming out which will bring up more questions. Perhaps the Planning Council could look at it with the District. Success depends on wellness. It's important for each student to feel they have someone who cares for them. Answer: We are asking that of each student to be sure they have a trusted adult at school. Some adults are very popular with many students but every adult in the schools should befriend at least one student.
- Buddy reading is a good program whereby older students read with younger ones.
- It would be great if each school had a LWVSD member who offers to help them; it would get people out of their neighborhoods.
- Volunteers can go into a class and work with students who need assistance doing a task. Some people have graded papers for teachers.
Next Meeting
There will not be a meeting in July. If anyone has ideas of speakers, please let the Chair know. One suggestion was to get the details of particular volunteer jobs with the District so the LWVSD can publicize them.
Selected Chat
From Sarina to Everyone:
For special education, do you have representation from community based early education programs? As we all know, early intervention is a best practice and there are some systemic issues that prevent children and families from accessing and maintaining services. Including waitlists, transitions from IFSP to IEP, etc.
From SDUSD Fabi Bagula to Everyone:
Yes we do, it’s a large group coming together and we are especially working on transitions.