School board president looking to receive more money from CCDC

The San Diego Unified School District wants to raid the coffers of CCDC, the city's redevelopment agency, to help close its budget gap. But CCDC doesn't have what the school district wants.

CCDC is required to share the tax dollars it generates with four local agencies, including the school district and now the district wants the next 10-years of its share this year.

School Board President Richard Barrera wants 64-million dollars of CCDC's money pot as soon as possible or teachers will be laid off, class sizes will go from 17 to 30 in K- thru- 3rd grade, and the district will be unable to do what it's supposed to do, educate children. “In the 150-some odd years that we've had a school district here in San Diego we've never seen the kind of crisis that we're facing right now,” said Barrera.

Right now the district gets 5-million dollars a year from CCDC. That goes to 15-million in two years, but the crisis is now.

Barrera chose Perkins Elementary School to make his plea, and got help from the school's principal, the teachers union, and State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher.

The problem is CCDC doesn't have 64-million dollars. It does have 140- million in its pot but 99-million is for existing debt and obligations, leaving 45-million. And the CCDC says that they have already made commitments to use that money to move forward on parks, parks acquisition, fire stations, and water quality improvements.

School Board President Barrera will take his case to the city council on Tuesday.

Barrera's case before the city council is this: what's more important, investing in downtown buildings, or investing in the education of children.