OUSD Certifies Budget Positive for First Time in 22 Years, but Two Directors Dissent

The Oakland Unified School District Board of Education voted 5-2 at a special meeting on May 27 to certify its Third Interim Financial Report as "positive" — the first such certification in more than two decades, marking a milestone in the district's long struggle to avoid state receivership. But the split vote exposed deep fissures on the board over whether the district's projected spending cuts are real or aspirational, with two directors refusing to sign off on a fiscal picture they said lacked adequate documentation.

• OUSD certifies its budget "positive" for first time since 2004, with unrestricted reserves meeting the board's 3% target

• Directors Berry and Hutchinson vote no, citing a $100M gap between second and third interim expenditure projections that staff could not fully document on the spot

• Heated exchange triggers recess after Director Hutchinson challenges fiscal team on missing line-item detail for projected spending cuts

• Six public commenters weigh in, raising concerns about contracting overspend, cuts to arts and safety programs, Brown Act compliance, and the need to sell unused district properties

The basics: Under California law, school districts must file interim financial reports certifying whether they can meet obligations for the current and two subsequent fiscal years. A "positive" certification means the district projects it can. OUSD has not achieved that threshold in 22 years, cycling through "qualified" and "negative" certifications that kept the specter of state takeover alive.