Community Blasts OUSD on Antisemitism, Building trades warn of impending strike

The Oakland Unified School District Board of Education convened for a marathon June 3 session that laid bare three concurrent crises: a community in revolt over the district's response to state findings of antisemitic discrimination, building trades workers preparing to strike over stalled contract talks, and a draft budget that still carries a $30 million deficit weeks before the adoption deadline. Together, the evening exposed deep fractures over civil rights accountability, labor relations, and fiscal transparency at a district that only recently regained local control after two decades of state oversight.

• Eighteen speakers slam OUSD's response to state antisemitism findings as families continue to leave the district and two lawsuits loom

• Building trades workers warn of a strike by month's end after six months of bargaining yield no counter-offer from the district

• Draft $877M budget carries a $30M unresolved deficit; Director Hutchinson alleges Brown Act violations after budget documents were changed mid-meeting

• LCAP hearing reveals zero supplemental carryover for the first time, triggering cuts to literacy tutors, restorative justice staff, and attendance case managers

• Record 332 seniors earn the Seal of Biliteracy across 11 languages, surpassing the district's goal of 300

• Executive salary schedules and agenda bylaw changes pass 5-1 over governance objections about self-dealing and lack of board consultation

"Your Failure Makes You Complicit": Antisemitism Response Draws Fury

The board's presentation on California Department of Education findings of antisemitic discrimination in OUSD drew the most public speakers of the night — 18 in all — and some of the sharpest criticism directed at the district in recent memory.

The basics: The CDE found that OUSD engaged in antisemitic discrimination and ordered eight corrective actions. The district showed a pre-recorded video summarizing its progress: five actions described as complete, three still in progress. The presentation covered items ranging from staff training to complaint investigation procedures.

Why it matters: Two lawsuits are pending against the district over antisemitism. Dozens of Jewish families and staff have left OUSD. The CDE corrective actions are legally binding, and speakers said the district's compliance has been performative at best.

Where things stand: Speaker after speaker told the board the district's response has been inadequate. Marlene Sachs, attorney for the Oakland Jewish Alliance, who said her organization has filed 35 complaints, called the presentation misleading and demanded immediate action. "Your failure to have done any of these things so far makes you complicit in the discrimination. Until and unless you do these things, the discrimination will continue," she said.

A special education teacher and OUSD parent, Sarah Rhodey, told the board she cannot enroll her own child in district middle schools because of the hostile environment toward Jewish students. Another parent, Josh Polston, described his 10th-grade daughter being told in class, "I don't know what you Jews have to complain about," while the teacher did nothing. John Lynch, a 26-year Oakland resident and 40-year teacher, demanded the board stop allowing schools to be used for political indoctrination and enforce its own controversial-issues policies.

Speakers cited unauthorized pro-Palestine and anti-Israel visual displays in classrooms, delayed complaint investigations — some stretching over a year — and the absence of meaningful disciplinary consequences for staff found to have engaged in discrimination. The attorney noted the district's own December 2025 admission that biased visual displays and instruction contributed to a discriminatory environment. Speakers demanded removal of unauthorized political materials, mandatory in-person antisemitism training rather than online modules, and real accountability for staff.

The other side: Asada Olagbala, a public commenter, questioned the cost of compliance with the antisemitism mandates and argued that African American students face equally serious, long-standing discrimination — in special education placements, suspensions, and school closures — that remains unaddressed by the board.

Board Director Mike Hutchinson delivered a lengthy personal statement drawing on his Jewish and Black heritage. "We know that antisemitism is the same as racism and is due to white supremacy. As a district, we are supposed to have a non-negotiable stance against all forms of white supremacy. Period. End of story," he said. He criticized district leadership for failing to act promptly but also cautioned against conflating Judaism with the Israeli government. He urged the community to change leadership through elections if the board does not deliver relief.

What's next: No board action was taken beyond the presentation and discussion. With two lawsuits active and the CDE monitoring compliance, the district faces escalating legal exposure if corrective actions are not completed. The absence of a board directive beyond the CDE-mandated steps may accelerate litigation.

Strike Clock Ticking: Building Trades Workers Say They're Done Waiting

Members of the Building and Construction Trades Council delivered some of the most emotional testimony of the night, warning the board that a work stoppage is imminent if the district does not engage in meaningful bargaining.

Why it matters: BCTC's contract expires at the end of June. The unit has shrunk to roughly 70 members responsible for maintaining the entire district's facilities. Workers described wages that haven't increased in 12 to 14 years, second jobs to make ends meet, and at least one member experiencing homelessness.

Where things stand: Bedrudin Kukujevic, BCTC chief steward, told the board the union has been bargaining for six months without receiving a single counter-offer. Members described being denied even a caucus room during bargaining sessions. "We are by end of this month of the contract we build preparing for a strike. That's something that I'm trying to avoid," he said.

One plumber detailed how the district hired a New York-based contractor that improperly installed toilets and sinks across 20 schools at a cost of $1.5 million — work that BCTC plumbers then had to redo. The union has proposed a one-year contract extension at a 12% raise.

Phoebe Wen, SEIU Oakland Chapter vice president, spoke in solidarity with BCTC, condemning the district's practice of pitting unions against each other and calling the contracting practices "gross."

The outsourcing task force update presented later in the meeting by Director Rachel Latta reinforced the workers' complaints: OUSD spends more per student on outside contracting than comparable districts, and while the task force found year-over-year increases in outsourcing, concrete dollar savings from reform efforts remain undocumented. Superintendent Denise Gail Saddler noted that contract review changes have reduced the number of consent report items, but no specific savings figure was offered.

What's next: With the contract expiring at month's end and no counter-offer on the table, a strike could disrupt summer maintenance and construction projects across the district.

$877M Budget Hearing Erupts Over $30M Deficit and Brown Act Dispute

The statutorily required public hearing on OUSD's 2026-27 draft budget turned into the most contentious exchange of the evening, with Director Mike Hutchinson alleging the district violated the Brown Act and questioning whether a budget with a $30 million deficit can legally receive a positive certification.

The basics: California school districts must hold public hearings and adopt a balanced budget by June 30. The state requires districts to file SACS (Standardized Account Code Structure) forms showing multi-year projections and to post these documents 72 hours before the hearing.

Why it matters: If the Alameda County Office of Education does not approve OUSD's positive certification, the district could face conditional or negative fiscal status — threatening the local control it regained after more than 20 years of state oversight.

Where things stand: Deputy Superintendent Tara Gard presented a draft budget showing $838.6 million in revenues and $877.1 million in expenditures — a roughly $96 million decline in total spending from the prior year, driven by a reduction in force affecting 700 positions, more than 160 PARS retirements, and funding source realignment. But the unrestricted multi-year projection still contains what staff labeled "pending budget balancing solutions" on line B10. "We still have a $30 million pending budget balancing solutions reflected in our MYP. You can find that on line B10," Gard said, arguing the gap is manageable given conservative revenue assumptions and anticipated additional cost-of-living adjustments.

Director Hutchinson rejected that framing. He alleged that the SACS forms posted on the board's agenda website contained incorrect data — showing current-year figures instead of next-year projections — and that the link was changed during a mid-meeting recess. "The fact that we're sitting here and during this recess, somebody went into the school board agenda and changed the link for this item is a cynical attempt to try to avoid the Brown Act," he said.

He pressed further on the deficit itself: "Even after all the work that's been claimed, we are planning on passing a budget that contains a $30 million deficit, which is a larger amount than we keep in our reserve and which would violate state law." He also noted the district has not produced a fiscal stabilization plan with identified dollar savings, and demanded an explanation of how the $103 million projected deficit from the first interim report was closed.

The other side: Director Latta acknowledged the deficit but supported the positive certification approach. "I would just for me appreciate that there is a change in practice that's happening, which is that we have cash flow and we almost always have had this quite a large buffer to cover our expenses. And ultimately that's the definition of what it means to certify positive," she said. Director Clifford Thompson and Director VanCedric Williams praised staff progress from what they described as a $200 million inherited deficit.

Public commenters Asada Olagbala and Avi Ringer challenged the board's transparency, with Ringer calling the lack of advance access to the correct budget numbers "a dirty political trick."

What's next: The board must adopt the final budget at its next meeting. The $30 million gap, the Brown Act dispute, and the absence of a detailed fiscal stabilization plan will all be live issues at adoption.

LCAP Hearing: Zero Carryover, Deep Program Cuts

The companion public hearing on the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan for 2026-27 revealed the fiscal constraints behind the budget numbers — and the human cost of closing the gap.

Why it matters: For the first time in years, OUSD projects zero carryover in its supplemental and concentration funds — the state dollars earmarked for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth. That means the district has no flexibility cushion: any new state mandate or program request will require cutting something else.

Where things stand: Diana Sherman, the district's LCAP coordinator, detailed extensive program eliminations driven by the need to shift five major investments into supplemental/concentration funding. "We are at a point in the year where we don't eliminate staff at the state stage, we only eliminate non-labor costs," she explained. Among the cuts: literacy tutors at non-Learning Recovery schools, the Director of Visual and Performing Arts position, the Continuous School Improvement Office, restorative justice program managers, attendance case managers, and multiple specialist positions.

Director Hutchinson questioned whether the LCAP decision-making process adequately involved stakeholders and challenged the elimination of services that directly support the district's most vulnerable students. Director Latta asked probing questions about how the district chose which programs to cut.

What's next: The LCAP adoption is scheduled for the next board meeting. With zero carryover projected, every dollar is spoken for — and any mid-year cost pressure will force further reductions to services for the students the funds are designed to protect.

A Bright Spot: 332 Seniors Earn Seal of Biliteracy

Amid the fiscal and policy tensions, the board heard a genuinely encouraging update: a record 332 graduating seniors earned the California Seal of Biliteracy this year, up from 281 last year and surpassing the district's goal of 300.

Nicole Knight, the district's multilingual education leader, reported that recipients came from 11 schools and demonstrated proficiency in a record 11 languages — including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, and Tigrinya, reflecting Oakland's diverse immigrant communities. At Life Academy, 55% of the senior class earned the seal. Eighty percent of all recipients are current or former English language learners.

Knight shared student profiles, including a trilingual Oakland Tech graduate and an Oakland High graduate from El Salvador who earned a full ride to UC Davis. The district is now 118 seals away from its 2030 goal of 450.

Director Thompson asked about monolingual English speakers becoming bilingual through district programs. Director Latta asked about expanding testing to include Mayan Mam through the AVANT exam. Knight said conversations with AVANT about adding Mayan Mam are underway and noted that the state allows districts to create local criteria for languages not covered by standardized tests.

Governance Clashes: Salary Schedules, Bylaw Changes, and Prop 28

Three separate votes exposed a recurring fault line on the board, with Director Hutchinson casting the lone dissent each time and raising pointed governance questions.

Executive Salary Schedules (O.-2)

Director Hutchinson pulled this item from consent to question why the resolution appeared to include a new job description for the Deputy Superintendent of Business and Operations — the role held by Tara Gard, who was also presenting the item. "Who developed these new job descriptions? Did Ms. Gard develop her own job description for her own job?" he asked. Staff and Superintendent Saddler said the position dates to 2010 and the update was a retirement-related cleanup. The item passed 5-1 (Hutchinson voting no, Director Patrice Berry absent).

Agenda Bylaw Amendment (O.-25)

Director Hutchinson objected to an amendment to Board Bylaw 9322, which reorders meeting agenda sections. He argued it was placed on consent without board consultation and that changes to the meeting order have coincided with declining public attendance. General Counsel confirmed the board president has discretion to place such items on consent. The amendment passed 5-1 (Hutchinson voting no, Berry absent).

Prop 28 Arts Report (T.-1)

The board approved the annual Proposition 28 arts and music funding report for submission to the CDE, but Director Hutchinson voted no, demanding dollar amounts that were not included in the report. Public commenter Sheila Haynes also questioned the lack of financial detail. The report passed 5-1 (Hutchinson voting no, Berry absent).

Minor Items

• Closed session actions: The board gave direction on a labor negotiations matter (4-0, Thompson abstaining, Hutchinson and Berry absent) and approved a settlement in an anticipated litigation matter (4-0, Williams, Hutchinson, and Berry absent).

• General consent report adopted 5-0 (Hutchinson abstaining, Berry absent), covering routine contracts, personnel actions, and program approvals minus the two pulled items.

• Superintendent's report: Superintendent Saddler highlighted attendance initiatives, the Unified basketball program, Restorative Justice Day, and a partnership with Northeastern University providing full-ride scholarships for six OUSD students through 2030 — "a total of an investment of $340,000," she said. Mills College at Northeastern was also noted as a scholarship partner.

• President's report: Board President Jennifer Brouhard highlighted workforce stability improvements, announced openings on district commissions, and promoted a summer reading challenge.

• Meeting adjourned in memory of staff member Deborah King Cooper.