Oakland vs. the WorldOakvs.

A Much Shorter Board/Budget Update. Really.

Your humble narrator once again found himself at a meeting of the Oakland Board of Education last night. The guard at the door knows my first name now.

3 min read

Here's what to know about budget proceedings at this hour:

  • The OEA and other labor orgs showed up in force with many supporters and public speakers. A distinct number of them expressed support for the superintendent in their comments.
  • HYA — the consulting group hired by the district to assist with budget assessments — presented a dense set of details to color in the latest budget developments. This included a clearer picture of the magical $50 million miracle, which basically aligns with my assessment last week about re-allocation of base funds into Supplemental + Concentration Funding. More on that below.
  • The Superintendent doubled down on her messaging, which to me continues to straddle a thin line between equitable, manageable austerity and the sobering impacts of drastic budget cuts.
  • A majority of the board seemed more or less supportive of the district's work thus far, but asked no substantive questions about the presentation during the meeting, and did bring up numerous concerns that I believe will become more pronounced as details emerge.

If you didn't read my update from last week, I don't blame you. All the same, it's worth mentioning that my assumption then — that the "reduction" in the budget deficit by $50M+ would probably be more accurately described as a "reallocation" — was more or less correct. The slides presented by the district put the dollar amount that will need to be moved out of S+C to accomplish this at $55.8 million. See slide 19, I think it's the meatiest one in the deck.

I continue to believe this entire strategy can be summarized by the first part of Slide 8, which states the operational goals and mandate: "It is the Board's duty to approve a fiscally responsible budget that preserves local control." That's the essence of what I'm hearing from the Superintendent, and also the general vibe: We will stay out of state receivership at all costs. Full stop.

It goes without saying that this means we're likely about to get bad news about funding for staff and services that many of us feel are vital. We've been hearing for years now that the board will have to make difficult decisions to stay out of receivership, and that, quite simply, is what is being put on the table right now. In late February, they will have to vote to approve most of these proposed cuts, or a similar version, and nobody is going to like it.

Putting aside for a moment the grim nature of this entire process, I encourage everyone reading this to avoid despair and instead consider a few important and very real possibilities. First, the budget process always involves a lot of educated guesswork — I truly believe we're being presented with worst-case scenarios at school sites right now, and I hear cautious optimism from many parties that at least some of the funding currently being cut will be restored. Second, there are many upcoming opportunities for us to get and stay engaged with this process, and the district and board are quite openly asking for that engagement from us. Finally, realize that the success or failure of what is happening now probably depends more on how we adapt and react to these changes than on the changes themselves.

There's so much impenetrable complexity to this situation but I'm committed to trying to decode it as best as I can without buying into any specific agenda, and I hope you will stay engaged and continue to learn with me.