The unanimous decision in August by San Diego Unified School District board members to dismiss Superintendent Lamont Jackson, following an investigation by the district that substantiated allegations of misconduct, highlights the urgent challenges facing the district. Yet this action barely scratches the surface of the deeper issues at hand.
Nearly half of the district’s students are being left behind academically. In 2024, 46% of students failed to meet the states minimum standards in English language arts, and an alarming 56% fell short in mathematics. This means the district is not meeting the educational needs of around 50,000 students — an issue that demands immediate attention. We cannot afford to overlook the fact that half of our students are struggling to reach basic academic benchmarks, putting their futures at risk. It’s time for decisive action to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Therefore, now is the time to seriously consider splitting the district into an elementary/middle school district along with a separate high school district — a bold step that could pave the way for more focused leadership, equitable resource allocation and improved outcomes for all students. With a looming $176 million deficit and a troubling disconnect between high grades and underperformance on standardized tests, its clear the district is in need of transformative change.
In a district as large as San Diego Unified, the needs of elementary and middle schools differ dramatically from those of high schools. Rather than relying on five board members to make the decisions for one large unified district, a more effective solution is needed. Splitting the district into an elementary/middle school district and a separate high school district is a sensible solution. This would allow for more tailored and responsive management without the complexities of size.
Splitting the San Diego Unified School District is not a new concept and it is not the first time that school board members have floated the idea. In 2009, then-school board member John de Beck called for the coastal schools in San Diego Unified to secede into a separate district with its own school board. Shelia Jackson, who served on the SDUSD board from 2004 to 2012, had sometimes argued that splitting the southern and northern areas of the school districts would ensure that the needs of students in the southern areas are better met.
Dividing the district along physical boundaries such as coastal lines or highways would be inequitable. A more practical approach such as an elementary/high school split would better align with the educational needs of the students while maintaining fairness to communities and neighborhoods. This restructuring could lead to more focused governance and improved outcomes for all students.
San Diego County consists of 42 distinct school districts, ranging from large districts like San Diego Unified to small districts like Rancho Santa Fe, which operates two schools on a single site. Most of these districts have fewer than 50 schools and are governed by a five-member school board, regardless of size. The San Diego Unified School District is the second largest in California, and serves nearly 100,000 students operating with a staggering $1.1 billion annual budget. With such a significant investment in our childrens education, we must demand better outcomes. The current results simply do not match the scale of resources allocated. Now is the time to push for meaningful reform to ensure that every dollar spent directly improves the quality of education and student success. Real change is necessary to provide the academic excellence our students deserve.
Having two separate districts has proven successful in other areas of San Diego County. Chula Vista, for example, is an area with an elementary school district that feeds into a high school district. In San Diego’s East County, dozens of elementary and middle schools feed into the Grossmont Union High School District, which is made up of 13 high schools and a handful of atypical schools.
Splitting the district could take years to complete. Just to begin the process, it would require a petition signed by 25% of the registered voters in the district, and the blessing of the county and state boards of education, followed by an election. Much-needed school reform is not just a concern for students and parents; the success of our schools impacts all of us.
Powell is a former San Diego County Board of Education member, public school teacher and administrator. He lives in San Diego.