OUSD board to vote on cutting hundreds of jobs
Oakland Unified budget shortfall could lead to layoffs | Take 2
The Oakland Unified School District is facing a $100 million budget shortfall that could lead to 200 layoffs. District staff met Wednesday night to discuss the reality of the layoffs, and how many educators might be impacted.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Unified School District board members are set to vote Wednesday on cutting hundreds of jobs as they work to close a nearly $100-million budget deficit, while also negotiating with teachers to avoid a potential strike.
What we know:
According to a presentation scheduled for the board meeting, the district aims to prioritize avoiding school closures and making reductions as far away from students and classrooms as possible.
District officials are proposing to cut more than as many as 400 positions from the budget for the 2026-2027 school year.
The reductions would include district case managers, counselors, assistant principals, substitute teachers, tutors, paraeducators, nurses, and "noon supervisors," who oversee students in cafeterias during breakfast and lunch.
OUSD board to vote on cutting hundreds of jobs
Oakland Unified School District board members are set to vote Wednesday on cutting hundreds of jobs as they work to close a nearly $100-million budget deficit, while also negotiating with teachers to avoid a potential strike.
The board is weighing the cuts as it continues negotiations with the Oakland Education Association, the union representing Oakland teachers.
A March 15 deadline looms where the district would be required by California law to notify teachers of any potential pink slips.
Union members have authorized a strike that could be announced at any time if they believe the district is not bargaining in good faith.
The two sides met Tuesday night, but there was no indication that negotiations had advanced. They are set to meet on Thursday.
The union has said it will provide at least 48 hours public notice if teachers decide to strike. In the meantime, the board is expected to vote on the proposed job cuts, a move district leaders say could save up to $102 million.
Parents, students, teachers speaking out
What they're saying:
Parents and teachers made their emotional pleas to the board Wednesday night.
"I'm here to say I demand the classified layoffs be reversed. No cuts. We need literacy tutors. Students said it best, no cuts to the teachers," said one unidentified speaker at the board meeting.
"To lay off people, to make cuts, is just going to drive people out of the Oakland Schools," said OUSD teacher Mark Airgood.
Students made their voices heard.
"The most important to me is counselors, because they are like therapists and a lot of students like me have problems and get stressed out," said one of the district's students who was not identified.
For others, the need for mental health support on campus was a dire situation.
"In third grade there was this one issue where I had suicidal thoughts," said another unidentified student at the meeting. "If you take away counselors from us, bad things can happen, more fights can happen kids can’t express how they feel."
The other side:
But the superintendent said, given the circumstances, reorganization is inevitable.
"I want every student to have the opportunity that they deserve, but we’ve gotta reorganize based on the amount of money that we receive from the state and the federal government, and right now there is not enough money that we’re going to be receiving to maintain our current staff. That’s the real deal," said OUSD Superintendent Dr. Denise Saddler.
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