San Diego Unified Schools Present Balanced Budget for 2026-27 School Year, District Leaders Continue to Advocate as Final State Budget is Being Negotiated

SAN DIEGO (JUNE 09, 2026) - San Diego Unified School District's Chief Financial Officer presented a balance budget for the 2026-27 school year during Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, and highlighted the benefits the school district could receive once the State of California's budget is finalized later this month.

"We are making investments in the classrooms and campuses where our students learn, and in the people who educate students and support their ongoing needs," said Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D. San Diego Unified School District. "We have thoroughly examined Governor Newsom's May budget revision and it makes significant investments in public education, however we are waiting for the state budget to be finalized, and will continue to advocate for the release of the remaining $3.9 billion in Proposition 98 funding. Our students would benefit greatly from those resources."

Once the State of California's budget is finalized, other investments San Diego Unified expects to incorporate into its 2026-27 budget include:

• Spend approximately an additional $1 million to comply with (Paid Pregnancy Disability Leave) to ensure employees are offered 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave. The district already provides 6 paid weeks for pregnancy leave.
• Invest in public safety personnel by hiring five new officers to support school communities. One million dollars will be allocated to add five full time police officers.
• San Diego Unified will be able to deliver a wage increase to all district employees, as negotiated with its labor partners. This increase helps to ensure educators and support staff are able to thrive as California's cost of living rises.

"This budget reflects the Board's commitment to investing in what matters most: our students, our employees, and our school communities," said Richard Barrera, President, Board of Education for San Diego Unified. "By expanding employee support, strengthening school safety, and providing competitive compensation, we will be making strategic investments that help ensure every student has access to safe, supportive, and high-quality learning environments."

A second reading of the June 9 budget presentation, along with a resolution to identify the amount of budget solutions needed for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 budgets and a Board of Education vote to approve the budget will be heard on June 23.

The budget presentation on Tuesday also noted for the first time the expected funding needed to cover the deficit for the 2027-28 school year ($74.2 million) - $10.5 million from 2026-27 budget will be applied toward the deficit. The deficit for 2028-29 school year is $137.6 million. These are required projections by the State of California, but San Diego Unified has always been able to solve for them in previous years.

The 2026-27 budget goes into effect July 1, 2026.

Visit SanDiegoUnified.org to learn more about the second largest school district in the state of California.

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