February 25 OUSD Board Meeting Recap
đź‘‹ Hello there! Welcome to our first board recap! Our newsletter exists because we believe you deserve to understand what is happening, not just the votes and the budget lines, but the real people making these choices and the impact they have on our community.
Context: OUSD is spending about $100 million more each year than it brings in. The current board is divided between 4 directors who vote together (Bachelor, Brouhard, Latta, Williams) and 3 who do not (Berry, Hutchinson, and Thompson).
Recent history: The previous Superintendent had a plan to fix the deficit by reimagining the district footprint, including closing and merging schools. The current board majority opposes school closures, and they rejected that plan last year. Since then, they’ve been working on coming up with a new plan to close the budget gap. The pressure to act has grown as the district approaches a March 15 deadline for notifying staff of layoffs.
Last night: Superintendent Saddler presented the board with a list of layoffs required to avoid going into debt and losing local control. This is part of the plan called “Scenario 3.” At the December 10 board meeting, the board rejected earlier proposals (Scenarios 1 and 2) for not following their stated priorities. Those priorities are:
- No school closures
- Prioritize reduction in central, farthest from students
- Enhance efforts to improve attendance and enrollment
- Reduce reliance on one-time funds
- Improve fiscal controls, monitoring, and transparency
The superintendent’s plan included 400 layoffs, both at schools and the central office. The board voted 5-2 in favor of those layoffs. The list of eliminated positions (in tiny font and horrifying length) is here and here.
The board majority’s view (Bachelor, Brouhard, Latta, Williams, and Thompson)
Majority board members repeatedly said they did not want to do this, but were forced to by decisions of previous boards, and the expiration of federal COVID funds. This was clearly a painful vote. Director Williams had a medical emergency during the meeting and was helped by school nurses who were there to speak against the cuts. The board led the room in a standing ovation for the nurses, then voted for cuts that included nursing positions.
The majority also seems to be hoping the cuts won’t be permanent if state funding is higher than expected. The board passed a resolution listing which jobs should come back first if OUSD gets additional state funding or other revenue.
Thompson does not typically vote with the majority, but joined them tonight.
The board minority’s view (Berry, Hutchinson)
Berry & Hutchinson agree that cuts are needed, but are frustrated by the rushed timeline, lack of transparency, and absence of a clear vision for which essential school services must be protected.
The community’s view
Many public commenters said they understood cuts have to be made. Most are still deeply upset by the specific cuts approved. OEA (the teacher’s union) and the Black Organizing Project emphasized that these impacts will not be felt equally. The underserved communities where the children most depend on support staff and programs will be hit the hardest.
Our view
Last night, our board was faced with an impossible choice. Option one: approve deep cuts to services and personnel and put our schools into survival mode. Option two: reject the cuts, give our community false hope that the money will somehow materialize, and risk losing local control entirely.
This was the best possible fiscal outcome at this point. But let's be clear: it was the best of two painful options, not a victory. Behind every cut is a teacher, a counselor, a program, a child’s needs. This decision will result in real pain for our community.
The majority made a hard decision that will keep OUSD solvent for now, and we applaud them for it. But the minority is right that the process was deeply flawed. We worry about the unforeseen consequences of these layoffs. The trade-offs OUSD is making were not clearly explained. If board leadership had brought a plan before the community earlier, this decision could have been made more thoughtfully, and with more transparency. We agree with Berry and Hutchinson’s decision to let the majority own this vote.
The bigger question is whether this willingness to make hard choices will continue. OUSD cut enough to avoid a negative budget certification this year, but did not close the $100 million gap or find money for staff raises. Superintendent Saddler spoke about the important work of restructuring the district so our schools can be financially stable and thriving. That work is far from done.
🏛️ Top moments from the dais to watch
- Hutchinson’s recap of the timeline so far. He does this almost every meeting, and it’s especially useful tonight.
- Berry’s heartfelt anguish about having to vote with so little information.
- Saddler's response, at times visibly frustrated, to Latta's invitation to explain the multi-year plan.
📢 Top comments from the community to watch
- Principal Swaicha Chanduri: principals were left out of the decision-making and are now expected to manage the fallout. (This echoes a letter that OUSD principals sent to the board.)
- Community member Jill Habig: this plan says we can save $3M by consolidating TK into fewer buildings, closing underutilized spaces. Doesn’t that mean that consolidating schools into fewer buildings and closing underutilized schools will also save money?
- Malaika Parker of the Black Organizing Project shares what this feels like for Oaklanders who love our city and have watched OUSD teachers fight for fair pay for decades.
đź”— Useful links for folks wanting more
- “Oakland school board divided as it approves 400 layoffs with no clear fiscal roadmap,” Jill Tucker, SF Chronicle gift link
- Open letter to Alysse Castro, Alameda County Superintendent, requesting a public meeting
- Parent-to-parent budget 101
- Share this newsletter with a friend
🪧 OEA and the District are continuing contract negotiations today. Though OEA has approved a strike, they must give 48 hours notice before a strike starts. A strike is possible starting March 3, but not confirmed. Ashley McBride at Oaklandside lays out what you can expect if a strike happens.
We know this is a lot! Thank you for hanging in there with us. We deeply believe that thriving schools are built through an empowered, connected community. We hope this is an avenue for your voice to be heard in these discussions. So let us know, what are you wondering about the OUSD board?
Signing off with hope, and in community,
Jess, Bekah, and Anna