The amount of information and messaging from the school board and district is overwhelming and often confusing. I'm going to try and quickly summarize what's going on for everyone based on the hours of research and committee meetings that I've been involved with as SSC chair and Peralta's delegate to the Parent Student Advisory Committee, as I believe the involvement of our community is needed now, as much as ever, and that starts with knowing what's going on.

The 5-Minute Version

The Cuts

OUSD is currently overspending by around $4 million a month, and is in danger of falling below legally required minimums in its reserves this year. It needs to find a way to reduce ongoing costs by around $100 million, including around $10 million by the end of this school year.

The Deadlines

Alameda County mandated that the Oakland Board of Education pass a resolution directing the District with firm guidance to make those cuts for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school year by October 8th. The district must present at least two scenarios that will satisfy the cost-cutting requirements for approval by the county ahead of a November 8th statutory deadline to submit the budget.

The Resolution

The School Board did pass a resolution, albeit by a narrow margin, at the last meeting on October 8th. While it does outline some specifics, including a district-wide hiring/salary freeze and a mandate not to close or merge schools, the district has asked for clarity and more direction from the Board as it develops its scenarios for cuts.

The Upshot (from my perspective)

There is a very large difference between what the School Board believes OUSD can cut from its centralized budget and what the district itself considers feasible to cut without directly affecting students. Without more specific guidance from the Board, I fear that the District will present a set of cuts that will be far-reaching and painful throughout schools and classrooms.

What We Can Do

I realize there isn't a lot of good news here, and that can be deflating, but the bottom line is that the School Board is, for the first time in two decades, able to offer binding oversight of this process to the District, and they need our feedback and support. Though time is tight, there's no reason this board cannot find time and space to shore up their resolution and give guidance on these cuts that is as equitable and reasonable as possible.

I am tasked with presenting the PSAC report at the school board meeting sometime between 5:30 and 6:30pm this evening. As a part of this report, I will be asking this board to put aside any past grievances and focus purely on making time and space to give direct and actionable guidance to the District that centers on their empathy for our students, their families, and their teachers. I believe that more voices from our community are needed to encourage them to do just this: Make time and space, and focus on the work. Here are some points of action you may want to explore:

• Email our District 1 School Board Director, Rachel Latta at rachel.latta@ousd.org, offer your support and your viewpoint.
• Attend or watch upcoming School Board Meetings. You can sign up to speak if you wish. Future meetings of the PSAC, SSC and School Board are all public, too.