23-04-2025
SDUSD interim superintendent heads to Sacramento
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Unified School District interim Superintendent Fabi Bagula is scheduled to visit Sacramento Wednesday and meet with lawmakers.
She will be joined by other Southern California school leaders and is going ahead of the May revision to Governor Gavin Newsom's budget. Bagula wants to make sure certain elements of education are prioritized.
Among her priorities is the Universal Transitional Kindergarten (TK), a growing initiative that allows 4-year-olds to begin their education early. Currently, about 5,000 students participate in TK.
'Investment in early learning has a very beautiful and big return on investment. We see increased literacy rates, we see increased engagement, we see students really love school and come to school and really graduate and thrive,' Bagula said.
The Los Angeles fires will cost the state a lot of money and she worries it could lead to school cuts in San Diego, the second largest school district in the state.
'I haven't seen any numbers but that was devastating for all of our state and that will be an expense that will have to be mitigated,' she said.
Special Education will be another area she advocates for because the number of special education students has increased and makes up about 18% of the student population, roughly 17,000 students.
Bagula says the district spends about $400 million a year on Special Education programs and classes and the government provides about $100 million of that.
'Whether it be a speech and pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, whatever disability, we want to make sure we have appropriate resources for our students,' she said.
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