Leaders from the San Diego Unified School District and other education associations gathered Monday morning to announce their personal support for Proposition 50.
On Tuesday evening, the Board of Education will vote on a resolution to support the proposition, which proposes congressional redistricting for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
On Aug. 21, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed Prop 50 following Texas’ mid-decade redistricting that flipped five of their seats Republican. The goal of the proposition is to flip five U.S. House seats Democratic for the 2026 midterm in order to balance Texas’ recently-added five GOP seats.
While Californians will vote on the new ballot measure in November, SDUSD leaders are making their support known now, citing concerns of ongoing federal education cuts under the current Trump administration and the GOP Senate majority.
“It’s very clear why we as a group of educators are here today in support of this initiative,” Richard Barrera, vice president of SDUSD Board of Education, said at the briefing. “What we have seen since January from the Trump administration has been a relentless assault on our students, our families, our educators and our schools, and we have seen a Congress that is more interested in pacifying Donald Trump than in standing up for our local communities and our local schools.”
Barrera cited increased fears in the community surrounding the presence of ICE agents and the Trump administration’s freezing of $6 billion in previously-approved education funding in early July. Though the funds were released on July 25 following a review conducted by the administration that evaluated how school spending aligned with White House values, educators are still wary.
“As a frontline worker in our schools, classified employees know better than anyone how devastating underfunding can be for students,” said Issel Martinez, president of the paraeducators chapter of the California School Employees Association.
“From the front office to the cafeteria to the bus stop to the health office to even the supports for special education, our CSEA members are there every single day making sure students are safe, fed, healthy, and ready to learn. But our ability to serve is being stretched into the breaking point.”
Martinez also avowed her fears for the future of special education funding, a program that President Trump has targeted since entering office. Historically, federal funding of special education programs has not met the Individuals with Disabilities Education standard of 40%.
Most recently, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act introduced higher requirements for students and families enrolled in Medicaid and food assistance programs, according to NPR.
With SDUSD serving many low-income families, district leaders drew on their own experiences to express their support for defending them.
“Proposition 50 will ensure we keep representation in Congress that supports school-aged children,” Gale Walker, founder of Children of the Rainbow, said at the briefing. “Otherwise, school-aged children will not get the medical care and the nutritious food; basic things no child should never go without. I’ve seen children come to school … struggling to focus, falling behind. Not because they aren’t capable, but because their basic needs aren’t being met.”
Cody Petterson, president of SDUSD’s Board of Education, emphasized the “consequences of inaction” in affirming his support for Prop 50 as it relates to San Diego education
“Let us be clear, if we could wave a wand and make all states adopt independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions, we would,” Petterson said. “We would do it today, immediately.
“But in the absence of such a wand and in the absence of genuine commitment to fairness and equality from this administration and its accomplices, we will not let them exploit our high mindedness to cheat our children of their future. Proposition 50 gives California a stronger hand to push back against these attacks and to fight for the dignity and well-being of our children.
“This resolution is about ensuring that our students are not abandoned.”
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