SAN DIEGO — An important vote is set to take place on Wednesday that could provide relief to Sweetwater Union High School District. San Diego County Board of Education will vote on whether to offer a $12 million loan to help the school district pay off their debt.
The district’s budget problems are now impacting the students. The students will not get laptops this year and the district had to cut free bus routes for San Ysidro High School. That decision has sparked a lot of protests. Parents and students took to the streets saying the district is ignoring their children’s needs and they should not let budget problems affect their education. Overall 29 bus stops were eliminated with 20 of them being in San Ysidro, impacting hundreds of students. Some students say they will now have to wake up 2-3 hours earlier every morning to walk a few miles to get to school.
Students say they want the school district and superintendent to follow the district’s slogan of “students first.” Those students are planning a walkout on Friday to try and get the attention of the school district, saying their needs should be a priority.
As for the budget, Sweetwater district was borrowing money from its building fund also known as Mello-Roos to pay off its debt, but they are required to pay it back quickly, and they have not been doing so.
If the Board of Education authorizes the $12 million loan it could help put the district back in compliance and out of debt, but district officials are still not certain they would accept it.