Oakland Unified school board weighs cuts to close $50M budget gap

Teachers, parents rally as Oakland Unified School Board weighs cuts to close $50M budget gap

Oakland parents, teachers and students packed a rally Wednesday night as the Oakland Unified School District school board considers how to close a recently revised $50 million budget shortfall for the next academic year. The district formerly projected a $100 million budget gap.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland parents, teachers and students packed a rally Wednesday night as the Oakland Unified School District school board considers how to close a recently revised $50 million budget shortfall for the next academic year. The district formerly projected a $100 million budget gap. 

Budget woes

What they're saying:

"We’re out here because we are fighting for a student-centric budget that really focuses the district’s resources on the classroom, on the staff that work directly with the students, instead of focusing on high-paid administrators and costly consultants," said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, president of the Oakland Education Association. "Our research has shown that they have plenty of money for staffing, and their analysts found $50 million in three short weeks. We want them to continue to go down that path and do that deep dive."

Plan revisions

During the school board meeting, district leaders emphasized that their revised plan includes no school closures and protects alternative education programs. District leaders said savings would come in part from cuts at the central district office, including reductions in administrative overhead, along with other difficult decisions across the system.

Teachers and staff at the rally said they want not only job protection but also higher pay to help retain educators.

Invested in Oakland

"Twenty-five percent of the educators in this district leave every year," said Ian Patton, a school counselor. "I could go to Hayward and make 40 percent more, but I’m invested in Oakland, and I want Oakland to invest in the people who work here."

Parents and students echoed those concerns and also called for protecting after-school programs.

"Our classes are huge, so even the best teachers don’t have enough support in the classroom to do their job well and support a variety of learners," said parent Margot Schoeo.

"Teachers and educators are really important to OUSD because they are the ones who make the students feel like it’s a safe space," said student Luz Martin.    

The school board has until June to adopt a new budget.