Dear Oakland families,
Here is the latest FIA4JUSTICE Board Accountability Watch, your tool to change power in public education by making school board meetings accessible and actionable.
What's in this Accountability Watch?
We wanted to bring your attention to several important agenda items being discussed at the upcoming Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) meeting Wednesday, October 14 at 4pm. We encourage you to attend in person but here is the zoom link to attend as well.
The district’s enrollment numbers came in below projections, which makes the budget squeeze (and the possibility of school reconfiguration) harder to avoid.
The LCAP PSAC (a committee of parents and students that advises the district on how it spends money to support students) is asking some fundamental questions:
Their approach is to start with the basics. Before debating what to cut, they want clear answers to:
Measure G is a local parcel tax that raises over $20 million per year for OUSD. The annual report found $6.8 million in unspent Measure G funds that could be used as one-time money for educational needs.
This matches the earlier advocate concern about managing restricted grant and tax funds better. With the district making cuts, unspent dollars stand out. Because it’s one-time money, it can’t fund ongoing costs like salaries, but it could cover one-time needs.
State funding is tied to how many students enroll and show up each day. When enrollment falls, revenue falls, but costs like buildings, utilities, food, and salaries don’t shrink at the same pace.
Previously, ACOE gave OUSD only a conditional approval and pointed to enrollment and attendance as a concern. OUSD responded with a plan for $30 million in “budget balancing solutions” this year and $10 million in cuts in future years.
Now the enrollment numbers show the problem getting a bit worse. The advocates’ conclusion is that OUSD will likely need additional budget reductions, possibly including layoffs and “reconfiguring” schools.
When and how will OUSD obtain family input on key budget-related changes:
Thank you for taking the time to review these updates. We can't wait to see you show up for our students and make sure our voices are being heard!
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