SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — With the possibility of a one-day strike looming, educators with the San Diego Education Association rallied ahead of the San Diego Unified School District meeting on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, SDEA teachers shared they will hold a one-day Unfair Labor Practice strike in February if the district did not improve special education staffing. The SDEA represents more than 6,000 educators, who voted to authorize the strike.
Tuesday’s rally was their last appeal to the public before the strike, according to organizers.
“Schools are vastly underfunded and significantly understaffed which causes a crisis not only in the special education—and those classrooms, and those children and their families—but to the greater school community and ultimately the community of us as citizens in the City of San Diego,” Golden Hill Elementary Second Grade Teacher Christopher Dobbs said.
SDEA educators rallied ahead of the San Diego Unified School District meeting. (KSWB/KUSI)
SDEA educators rallied ahead of the San Diego Unified School District meeting. (KSWB/KUSI)
SDEA educators at an art build event to prepare for their rally and one-day strike. (Brooke Anderson)
SDEA educators rallied ahead of the San Diego Unified School District meeting. (KSWB/KUSI)
SDEA educators at an art build event to prepare for their rally and one-day strike. (Brooke Anderson)
Educators plan to strike on Feb. 26, which has prompted the district to close school for the day. According to SDUSD leadership, educators’ salaries and benefits are among the highest in San Diego County and 10% above the California average.
“Our educators are among the highest paid in the region, receive comprehensive benefits fully funded by the District, and work in classrooms with some of the lowest class size ratios in the region,” Superintendent Fabi Bagula shared in a statement. “We have put concrete solutions on the table that remain under consideration, and we remain committed to bargaining in good faith and reaching an agreement that keeps students at the center.”
SDEA leadership believe that special education caseload limits have been exceeded for years, violating their contract and pushing educators to “ethical breaking points.” They are also advocating for increased wages and stability in SDUSD schools.
Dobbs shared people may not understand the extent of services these teachers provide. He said they serve students with visual and auditory disabilities, ADHD, autism and other disabilities. He added that all of these services need proper funding.
SDUSD has been public about a projected $47 million deficit they are facing for the next school year. The district spends $400 million yearly on special education services; only $125 million comes from the state and federal government.
District leadership called on Governor Gavin Newsom and rallied to receive more funding for these programs. However, educators are still concerned about the impacts.
“The remaining $275+ million must come from our general fund,” Bagula said. “This is not sustainable, and it is not fair to our children and families. This is why I have begun forming a coalition of community leaders committed to advocating for our fair share and addressing the systemic challenges facing special education.”
Dobbs said it’d be important if, “superintendents and school boards joined us in our fight to request that the state provide significantly more funding.”
“Every day that Special Education remains understaffed is another day students lose critical support they cannot afford to miss,” SDEA Educator Evelyn Avalos shared in a statement. “The district must respect the contract they agreed to and adequately staff Special Education.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.