Summer vacation is just about over for students in San Diego Unified School District.
They are scheduled to return for the fall semester on Monday.
Superintendent Lamont Jackson sat down with KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez for a one-on-one interview and for a preview of the new school year.
Jackson said he is ready to welcome back students with a priority on their mental health.
“I think we're doing a much better job of exposing individuals, human beings to what they have been suffering with in silence. It's much more public. With that comes self-referrals. So, we're getting more students articulating what they're feeling," Jackson said.
The district is hiring more counselors and continues to empower its department of youth advocacy, which provides support for children dealing with everything from gender identity to bullying and cultural sensitivity issues.
Teachers are returning to the classroom this semester with a historic 15% pay raise over the next two years. That's just one highlight that came from negotiations that dragged on for more than a year
“They deserve that and more," Jackson said. "And we have said we want to be the highest-paying District in this County and we are very proud of our 100% benefits package. But at the core, it's a belief that our educators and our staff members deserve it. First and foremost, we as a district have to see our employees as valuable.”
This year, there will be a significant increase in the number of campuses now designated as Community Schools.
“When I was hired as Superintendent the community spoke, and the community said we need to support the whole child," Jackson said. “It's about bringing the resources of the community into the school as a hub. So, when you talk about mental health, you have support there. When you talk about physical health, we have on-site clinics. Look at Hoover, they have dental medical facilities, right on campus."
With the help of community organizations, private business, and state funding, San Diego Unified goes from just 5 community schools to 15 community school campuses across the district this fall.
There is also the much anticipated guaranteed arts funding for every public school in California. Voters approved Prop. 28 last November which is expected to provide up to $1 billion from the state budget annually.
“We're going to hire more educators and we're going to have more programs. We're going to get instruments into the hands of our children. We're going to get great music and we are going to make sure that the Arts and academics are taking center stage together.”
Dr. Jackson and his wife did have a brief summer vacation to Maui. Their flight back home to San Diego took off just hours before the first fires started, leaving him bittersweet.
"We enjoyed (the vacation). But you know, my other thought was, gosh, I want to go back and I want to help," Jackson said. "I even had a crazy thought that we could do some hybrid learning and offer to the schools to Zoom some learning from here. We help out. And those who helped the most lost the most and it's sad. So you asked me about vacation I got away for a few days but I returned with a heavy heart."
The full interview with Dr. Jackson is scheduled to air on KPBS radio Midday Edition on Tuesday.
