Board Delays Fiscal Consultant Contract, Demands Transparency Plan

Oakland Unified's board pumped the brakes on extending its outside fiscal advisory team, unanimously postponing the contract amendment and demanding a communications plan to clear up community confusion about the district's budget numbers. The special meeting also greenlit a half-million-dollar athletic lighting upgrade at Skyline High School before closing with tributes to two longtime community pillars.

• Board postpones HYA fiscal consultant contract extension to April 22, demanding a communications plan, CBO hiring strategy, and clearer scope of work before committing more resources
• $508K Skyline High School field lighting replacement approved unanimously, funded by voter-approved Measure Y bonds
• Public commenter blasts district contracting costs, calling HYA agreement "sloppy and unrestrained" and urging tighter accountability
• Superintendent Saddler makes forceful case for keeping HYA, citing bond confidence, fiscal stabilization, and compliance obligations

The board's most substantive debate centered on whether to extend the district's agreement with Hazard Young Attea Associates, the outside fiscal advisory team brought in to stabilize OUSD's finances. Instead of approving the contract amendment, directors voted unanimously to postpone the decision to April 22 — attaching a list of conditions that signal growing unease about transparency, staffing gaps, and public communication as the June budget deadline approaches.