Oakland Unified at risk of entering state oversight again, board members warn
In 2003, the Oakland Unified School District faced financial ruin, taking a $100 million loan from the state and giving up control of the district. State oversight ended last summer, but there are concerns it won't last.
"We are poised to be the first district in history to regain full local control, and then lose it again within a year," said Mike Hutchinson, a school board member.
Board members Hutchinson and Patrice Berry spoke at a virtual town hall on Monday as turmoil in the district echoes across the East Bay. Earlier this month, the Alameda County superintendent called the district's financial picture "Incomplete" and "Not typical"… before requiring the district to submit new budget reports by Thursday.
The concern is that even if the district cuts its way past the upcoming budget, it won't be financially sustainable in the years and budgets to come. And as this week's deadline looms, more than 40 OUSD principals signed a letter expressing decreasing confidence in district leadership, noting only 30% of students are reading at grade level.
"Looking at the data, it is in fact beyond discouraging, and some of it is enough to piss you off," Berry said.
All this is happening as the district confirms it will not have a permanent superintendent for at least another year. Dr. Denise Saddler will stay in the interim after the school board decided in a closed session to suspend the search for another year.
The letter from the OUSD principals also calls for the search to continue with more transparency.
"Some of the most consequential decisions we face today are going to be made without permanent executive leadership. And all of that is happening during an election year. The reality is that's the moment we're in right now," Berry told CBS News Bay Area.
OUSD says it is on track to balance its budget for the upcoming school year, but it still needs to find tens of millions of dollars in cuts to bridge a massive shortfall.