The San Diego Unified School District plans to increase the number of Transitional Kindergarten classrooms by 10% and reduce class sizes from 24 to 20, officials said.
The announcement came Thursday ahead of the opening for families to sign children up for TK. Online enrollment begins Saturday.
“Our district went all-in on universal transitional kindergarten when the state expanded it three years ago and we have received positive feedback from families about our TK program,” said Fabi Bagula, the district’s interim superintendent. “We are dedicated to making high-quality early childhood education accessible.”
According to the district, since SDUSD began offering TK classes in 2022, more than 15,000 students have participated.
The number of TK classrooms will increase from 229 to 252, with two educators per class even with reduced class sizes. The district will be “strategic” about where the classes will be added, according to a statement.
“This significant expansion of our TK program directly aligns with our district’s core commitment to educational equity and excellence,” said Marceline Sciuto, executive director of SDUSD’s operations support. “By adding 23 new classrooms and providing a more favorable teacher-student ratio of 1:10 or lower, we’re creating more personalized learning environments where every child can thrive.”
The district once faced a budget deficit of $176 million in the coming school year, but saw it fall to $112 million. A new plan adopted by the school board this week eliminates the reminder of the gap.
One cost-saving measure, an early-retirement plan for employees, succeeded, with nearly 1,000 of them electing to take it.
The San Diego Unified School District is the state’s second-largest, with more than 95,000 students and 15,000 employees across more than 200 schools. It’s budget tops $2 billion.
