Happy Wednesday, San Diego!
San Diego Unified School District leaders are meeting today to discuss possible solutions as the district stares down a $47 million budget shortfall. We look at what’s being done to close the gap as the district also pushes for an ambitious plan to build affordable housing for teachers.
Breaking overnight, a SWAT standoff near Naval Base San Diego that lasted nearly 12 hours ended with an arrest.
Also, meteorologist Megan Parry’s microclimate forecasts break down the potential record high temperatures around the county today.
THE STREAMLINE:
ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Wednesday, Dec. 10 -- everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
TOP STORY:
With state and federal funding not fully available to cover rising expenses, the San Diego Unified School District is meeting Wednesday night to find a way to close its $47 million budget deficit.
The SD Unified Board of Education is expected to take a closer look at the money they are spending as they prepare their budget for the next two school years.
SD Unified Superintendent Dr. Fabi Bagula said special education funding is pushing the district into a shortfall. While it’s legally required and federally mandated, Bagula said the district receives just one-third of the money they need from the state and federal governments to fully support their students.
"When Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, it promised to fund 40% of the excess cost of special education. If we received the 40% we were promised, our district wouldn't even have a budget deficit,” said Bagula.
SD Unified spends $400 million a year on special education -- $125 million comes from state, federal, and local sources, while the district pays $275 million out of their own general fund.
District leaders said long-term change will require more than internal cuts; it will take state and federal lawmakers stepping in with support that schools were promised.
At the meeting, the district will lay out the framework for potential cuts or reallocations, but final decisions will wait until the full budget plan is released in March 2026.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the district will vote on whether to move forward with a sweeping affordable housing plan for teachers.
The plan includes five different proposals that would bring nearly 1,500 homes to district property.
The biggest proposal would be 952 rentable units -- most of them studios and one-bedroom apartments -- for the Eugune Brucker Education Center property on Normal Street.
A vote tonight would allow the district to begin interviewing developers.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
A long standoff at a Barrio Logan home, near Naval Base San Diego, ended early Wednesday morning with a man’s arrest.
San Diego Police said the situation unfolded at around 2 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 2000 block of Vesta Street and involved a warrant being served.
Police did not indicate what crime the suspect was wanted for.
The suspect refused to come out of the home, and because police believed he was armed, a SWAT unit was dispatched to the scene.
After hours of negotiations, the standoff ended peacefully with officers arresting the suspect at around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
CONSUMER:
If you were born before 1952 and have traditional investment plans, there are some important withdrawal requirements you need to meet.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel explains the federal rule you may not know about that could end up triggering hefty penalties if you don’t act soon:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
It was an emotional return to Black’s Beach for a man who nearly lost his foot after he was stung by a stingray.
In July, a normal day at the beach for Richard Woulfe turned into a battle with a flesh-eating disease.
WATCH — Reporter Michael Chen follows through with his journey back to normalcy as he continues his recovery:
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