County Sounds Fiscal Alarm as OUSD Board Celebrates Gains, Avoids Budget Reckoning

Alameda County's superintendent has put Oakland Unified on notice — demanding financial projections by April 30 amid a going concern finding — but the board held no budget discussion at its April 22 meeting. Instead, the evening swung between celebrating real progress on attendance and enrollment and a mounting crisis over layoffs, a stalled superintendent search, and the specter of state receivership for the second time in the district's history.

• County demands fiscal solvency plan by April 30 as board avoids budget discussion entirely
• Chronic absenteeism drops to 26.5% from COVID-era peak of 61.4%, but layoffs threaten the staff who made it happen
• Board unanimously approves $8M for classroom cooling from Measure Y bond after parent-led campaign
• Superintendent search hasn't started nearly a year after firing Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, despite $100K+ search firm contract
• Enrollment grows for first time in seven years, but the marketing team that drove it faces total elimination
• Unions demand reversal of hundreds of pink slips hitting attendance workers, family engagement, ethnic studies, and equity staff
• 6-1 vote creates advisory body for three vacant properties amid accusations the board is laying groundwork to sell public land

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Fiscal Crisis Looms Over Every Win

Why it matters: Without a credible plan, OUSD risks losing local control over 34,000 students' education — a catastrophe the district experienced once before and has spent two decades trying to escape.

Where things stand: Alameda County Superintendent Elise Castro has issued a going concern notice requiring the district to submit financial projections including a cash flow analysis by April 30. Yet no budget item appeared on the agenda, and the superintendent did not publicly communicate the notice to the community, according to Board Member Mike Hutchinson, who raised the alarm repeatedly throughout the evening.

"We are not on the right track," said Board Member Hutchinson, who also criticized the administration for using district email to send a community supporter briefing to the board advocating for a contract extension. Parent Ariel Fleischer read the Castro letter aloud during public comment, expressing concern about the board's lack of urgency. Another parent, Oliver Brennan, noted this is the first time in 22 years that OUSD has lacked county guardrails — a reference to the state-appointed fiscal overseer whose authority ended recently.

On the other side, 21-year OUSD teacher Joanna Davis argued the district is manufacturing a deficit crisis by underreporting revenues, and urged the board to stay the course on reducing central office bloat rather than cutting school-site staff.

Decisions: The board extended HYA's fiscal advisory contract by approximately $400,000 (For: 6, Against: 1, Absent: 0 — Board Member Hutchinson voting no), bringing the annual total near $1 million. Hutchinson questioned why the district would spend scarce dollars when the county superintendent had offered to provide and fund the same advisory services.

"Why are we spending more money that we don't have from a fund that we're not getting funded anymore when the county superintendent has offered to give us these services and they'll pay for it," Board Member Hutchinson said.

What's next: The April 30 deadline for submitting financial data to the county is the immediate pressure point. If the district fails to produce a credible fiscal plan, state receivership becomes a real possibility.

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Attendance Gains Collide With Pink Slips

Why it matters: Every percentage point of attendance improvement translates directly into average daily attendance (ADA) revenue — the district's primary funding mechanism — while also representing thousands of students spending more days learning. The layoffs now threatening the teams behind those gains could reverse them.

Where things stand: Interim Superintendent Denise Gail Saddler presented a comprehensive attendance report showing chronic absenteeism has fallen from a COVID peak of 61.4% to 26.5% this year. Half of all students now attend 95% or more of school days. The district-wide absence rate dropped from 9.5% to 8.8%.

"Last year our absence rate at this time was 9.5% district-wide. Right now we're at 8.8, so that's a drop, which is fantastic," Superintendent Saddler said.

A key driver was the Oakland Natives Give Back partnership, which deployed phone-banking services at 10 high-need sites. At Castlemont, unverified absences fell from 74% to 60%. A clerical mentorship program with 10 mentors receiving $6,000 stipends cleared over 1,000 data errors ahead of the P2 audit. Senior director Shelia White's team logged 10 years with zero financial audit impact.

The other side: Even as the board celebrated, unions lined up to warn that March 15 layoff notices are gutting the very teams producing these results. OEA Vice President Carrie Anderson highlighted the disproportionate impact on Black workers. SEIU Vice President Phoebe Wen pointed out the contradiction of cutting attendance specialists while prioritizing attendance-based revenue. BCTC leader Besha called for reversing all layoffs. UAOS President Carrie Kaufman reported that members received inappropriate March 15 letters — some for fully-funded positions — and that a level one complaint filed 13 months ago remains unanswered.

Board Member Patrice Berry pressed staff on the practical question: "I first want to know who is the team of people who does the work at each of those levels," she said, connecting the attendance gains directly to the positions now on the chopping block.

What's next: The layoffs take effect at the end of the school year unless reversed. All district family engagement specialists and the central interpretation coordinator have already been eliminated, raising legal compliance concerns for services to English learner families.

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Superintendent Search: Nearly a Year and Nothing to Show

Why it matters: Leadership instability undermines staff morale, community trust, and the district's ability to execute the fiscal recovery plan the county is demanding.

Where things stand: Nearly a year after firing Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, no search for a permanent replacement has begun — despite the board having contracted with the firm HYA for over $100,000 to conduct it. Board Member Hutchinson pressed Board President Jennifer Brouhard to explain the status, noting the board had voted 5-2 in closed session to give direction on superintendent public employment. He called it ironic that the stalemate coincided with the one-year anniversary of Johnson-Trammell's termination.

Multiple community members weighed in. Dr. Kimberly Mayfield of the Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) advocated for extending Superintendent Saddler's contract, citing accomplishments including keeping schools open, ratifying union agreements, and increasing enrollment. A public commenter asked Vice President Valarie Bachelor directly whether a good-faith effort was being made. The NAACP Education Chair, Dr. De la Morris, called the situation emblematic of the board's dysfunction.

What's next: No public timeline has been established for either launching the search or making the interim arrangement permanent.

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Enrollment Grows — Then the Team Gets Defunded

Why it matters: Enrollment-driven ADA revenue is OUSD's primary funding mechanism; eliminating the team that reversed a decade of decline directly threatens the district's fiscal recovery.

Where things stand: Executive Director Killian Block presented the annual enrollment stabilization report showing OUSD increased enrollment for the first time since 2017-18. Transitional kindergarten enrollment grew 142% over five years. Applications are up 422 over last year. Block's three-pronged strategy — fostering an attitude of yes, increasing visibility, and focal school support — drove the results. The investment, Block noted, paid for itself at least twice over in realized ADA revenue.

But the enrollment marketing team has lost 4.5 positions over three years and is projected to have zero FTE and zero funding in 2026-27.

"This enrollment project is a ten-year plan, really," said Board Member VanCedric Williams, expressing concern that stopping the work would require another three to five years to restart.

What's next: Without a budget reversal, the stabilization function ceases to exist next school year.

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Board Votes to Evaluate Vacant Properties; Hutchinson Warns of Land Sales

Why it matters: Declaring property surplus is the sole legal pathway to selling or leasing public school land. Critics say the board is putting the cart before the horse by forming the advisory committee before completing the community re-envisioning process that was supposed to precede it.

Where things stand: Board Member Patrice Berry co-authored the resolution establishing a 711 committee — the state-mandated advisory body that evaluates properties for potential surplus declaration — to review three vacant sites: Ralph Bunche, Second Avenue, and Lakeview. Board Member Hutchinson strongly objected, arguing the committee is the legal trigger for selling district property, and the board was acting backwards by forming it before the facilities master plan data could inform decisions.

"Us native Oaklanders, we don't give away our scarce resources without a fight," Board Member Hutchinson said, citing two previous 711 committees that were shut down. General counsel confirmed the committee is advisory only.

KDOL station manager Mario Cavatelli objected to the unfunded mandate on his three-person team for covering the committee meetings. Dr. De la Morris, the NAACP Education Chair, called the debate emblematic of broader board dysfunction.

Decisions: The resolution passed 6-1 (For: 6, Against: 1 — Board Member Hutchinson voting no).

What's next: The 711 committee will convene to evaluate the three properties and make recommendations to the board. Any surplus declaration would require a separate board vote.

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$8M for Classroom Cooling: The One Thing Everyone Agreed On

Why it matters: Climate change has made classrooms increasingly unsafe for learning and work. This allocation plants the seed for the next facilities bond to tackle heat district-wide.

Where things stand: The heat mitigation resolution was the only item to receive a unanimous 7-0 vote. Board Member Hutchinson pulled the item specifically to vote for it and thank families at Sequoia Elementary who started the campaign.

"The idea of using film on the windows that shows that we could potentially see a temperature reduction in our classrooms of 5 to 10 degrees is just the kind of cost-effective, widespread ideas that we really need to incorporate," Board Member Hutchinson said.

Vice President Bachelor noted that $8 million is a drop in the bucket compared to total need. Board Member Berry thanked the community members who elevated the issue repeatedly.

Decisions: Passed 7-0 (For: 7, Against: 0, Absent: 0). The $8 million comes from the Measure Y bond.

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Youth Vote Coalition: Classroom Visits, Not Lunch Tables

Why it matters: With the next youth vote scheduled for November 2026, the district must formalize civic engagement curriculum and voter registration processes that a prior board resolution already requires — but that the superintendent never implemented.

The Oakland Youth Vote Coalition presented findings from the first youth vote held in odd districts in 2024 under Measure QQ, passed by Oakland voters in 2020. The most striking finding: in-class civic engagement combined with pre-registration was dramatically more effective than casual outreach. Patricia Arabia of the League of Women Voters reported that classroom visits yielded 30 registrations per session versus just six or seven from lunch-table tabling.

The coalition found that the OUSD superintendent did not create the comprehensive support plan directed by board Resolution 212-20089, and no effective partnership between OUSD and the Registrar of Voters was established. Recommendations include formalizing curriculum that pairs civic education with voter registration across grade levels, creating an opt-out rather than opt-in registration system, and ensuring every high school has a ballot drop box.

"In 20, 50 years, they look back and say it started at this time, which is really great," said Board Member Williams, linking the coalition's work to the civil rights tradition.

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Disabled Students' School Stability Resolution Nears Finish Line

Community Advisory Committee co-chair J.D. Woloshin reported that the resolution to ban involuntary removal of disabled students from their school communities — in development since May 2023 — was rewritten after a fiscal impact statement based on a misinterpretation. A productive meeting with Board President Brouhard, staff member Tara Gard, and General Counsel Janine Lindsey moved the effort forward.

"The fact that we still haven't passed the School Stability Resolution is very frustrating given that it is a basic civil rights issue and an equity issue," said Board Member Rachel Latta, who praised the recent good-faith collaboration from senior leadership.

What's next: The revised resolution is expected for a vote at the next meeting.

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Administrators Earn Up to $50K Less Than Neighbors

During labor partners reports, UAOS President Carrie Kaufman presented findings from a collaborative six-month pay study benchmarking OUSD against multiple peer districts. Key findings: the average raise needed to reach the median is 14%. A middle school assistant principal with 23 years earns $147,000 in OUSD versus up to $194,000 at neighboring districts. An elementary principal with 15 years earns $170,000 versus up to $203,000. Eighty-two percent of members are at top of pay scale, and the longevity stipend is only $1,300 after 20 years. OUSD administrators also work four to six more days annually than their counterparts. Berkeley recently settled for 8%, West Contra Costa for 8%, San Francisco for 12-15%, and Los Angeles for 12.15%.

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Ethnic Studies Faces Elimination at the District Level

Both central ethnic studies teacher-on-special-assignment (TSA) positions face elimination — the TK-8 position was cut in March layoffs and the 9-12 position is partially grant-funded with funding expiring next year. Ethnic studies TSAs Berta Rosa Guillen and Leah Aguilera warned the board during the Measure G1 allocation debate. Teacher Tate Jodet urged the board to make the positions permanent, noting ethnic studies is its own academic discipline and should not be subsumed under history or English. OUSD adopted its ethnic studies curriculum in spring 2025 with state mandates approaching.

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Minor Items

• Pupil Discipline Consent Report adopted 5-1-1 (Board Member Clifford Thompson voting no, Board Member Hutchinson abstaining; student directors recused). Public commenters raised compliance concerns with AB 1230 expulsion rehabilitation plan requirements.
• Consent Agenda approved 6-0-1 (Board Member Hutchinson abstaining), excluding five items pulled for separate votes (O76, O77, O78, O82, O83).
• Absence and Excuse Policy (O76) updated to CSBA standard for the first time since 2004; approved 6-1 (Board Member Hutchinson voting no).
• Measure G1 Allocation (O83) correcting allocation for Edna Brewer approved after ethnic studies debate.
• 2026 Facilities Master Plan adopted 6-0 (Board Member Hutchinson absent for vote), replacing the controversial Jacobson-era blueprint used to close schools. Vice President Bachelor called it a bridge between vision and action that will enable future bonds and state proposition funding.
• Measure E support: Oakland firefighter Jose Sanchez, 911 dispatcher Antoinette Blue, and others urged the board to support the city ballot measure on the June 2 ballot for fire protection, homelessness services, and illegal dumping. Board Member Williams committed to both voting for and canvassing for the measure.
• Student Directors reported on Shana Ward's undefeated wrestling state championship (42-0), GSA Day with 325 attendees, and the middle school ethnic studies conference with 60 student facilitators. Student Director Maximus Simmons announced his return from leave and promoted the Youth Action Summit, where students can run for All City Council — with both student director seats opening up.
• Legislative Platform adopted with watch positions on three bills and opposition to SB 1067 (math screening).
• Seven legal settlements approved in closed session (5-0 with 2 abstentions each).