Welcome Back to School: 4 Stories to Watch in San Diego County

Believe it or not, most schools in San Diego County are back in session. If the new school year snuck up on you, that’s likely because start dates have been getting earlier. San Diego Unified moved its first day of school up, while some local schools have been in session for weeks already.

In any case, each school year brings new challenges. Here are the four stories I’ll be following:

Budget Deficits

Over the pandemic, districts were flush with state and federal cash. Now that federal funding is expiring, that’s no longer the case. San Diego Unified projected a massive budget shortfall this year. Despite efforts to mitigate it, next year’s deficit is projected to be even bigger. This may impact ambitious programs like community schools funded with a mixture of state and district money.

Pandemic Recovery Efforts

Efforts to recover from pandemic losses have been slow. While some progress has been made in test scores and chronic absenteeism, there is still much work to be done. Schools have implemented strategies to improve attendance, but chronic absenteeism remains a challenge.

Enrollment Changes

San Diego Unified saw an increase in enrollment, mainly in the universal transitional kindergarten grade. The impact of this increase on long-term enrollment trends and state funding remains to be seen.

Cellphone Bans

Los Angeles Unified recently passed a ban on cellphones on its campuses. San Diego Unified officials are considering similar measures to address the distractions and negative impacts of cellphone usage on students.