One of the largest issues currently facing San Diego Unified School District is the looming budget deficit and the
district's decision to implement sweeping cuts in employment and hiring. Much as been written on this budget issue--specifically as it relates to teacher layoffs. Recent
Voice of San Diego articles highlight the disproportionate impact that these decision have on socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
One item that particularly stands out from in the second article are the rates of socio-economic need at the most impacted schools.
The fact that two of the schools--
Whittier K-12 and
Garfield--are listed is especially discouraging given that they represent two of San Diego Unified's Alternative Education sites. Whittier is a K-12 option for non-diploma bound students who require significant attention given the needs outlined in their IEPs. Additionally, Garfield is a continuation school for those students who are unsuccessful in the traditional school setting and at-risk of dropping out. While all the teacher layoffs are disheartening, the impact at these two schools in particular is sure to most severely felt.
To learn more about the schools within San Diego Unified, you can reference the
SDUSD website. Additionally, demographic information (including percentages of Free/Reduced Lunch, EL populations, etc.) can be found by visiting
Ed-Data.
