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From the schools

Principals are raising serious concerns

These letters come from the people running Oakland's schools every day. They describe decisions that affect real classrooms and appear to bypass rules meant to protect students and public money. Each one links to the full letter, exactly as the principals sent it.

October 25, 2026Middle schools

Middle school principals oppose diverting $5 million in Measure G1 funds

“The Measure G1 reserves are not a budget backstop.”

Sixteen Oakland middle school principals opposed a district proposal to use about $5 million in Measure G1 money — set aside for middle school grants for arts, music, world languages and school climate — to retroactively pay for six central office positions going back to 2021–22. They backed the Measure G1 oversight commission’s unanimous vote to disapprove the plan, and called on the Board to reject it, return the $5 million to the G1 reserve, and repay the $3.5 million taken from Measure N and H reserves.

Signed by 16 OUSD middle school principals and one assistant principal.

Read the full letter (PDF)
June 15, 2026High schools

All 15 high school principals oppose raiding parcel tax reserves

“Oakland voters… were not writing a blank check to the district.”

Every high school principal in the district unanimously opposed a budget action that would have illegally redirected Measure N and Measure H parcel tax money to cover expenses the district was already required to pay. They called it supplanting — something both measures explicitly prohibit — and warned it exposes the district to audit findings and legal challenges.

Signed unanimously by all 15 OUSD high school principals.

Read the full letter (PDF)
January 26, 2026Elementary schools

Thirty elementary principals: cuts are redefining "adequate" downward

“High-quality schools do not happen by accident, and they do not happen through endurance alone.”

Thirty elementary principals warned the Board that budget allocations treat anything beyond a teacher, a principal, and an office assistant as optional. They explained that roles like instructional coaches, attendance specialists, substitutes for legally required IEP meetings, and noon supervisors are essential to running a functioning school — not extras.

Signed by 30 principals across East, West, and North Oakland.

Read the full letter (PDF)
April 22, 2026District-wide

A coalition from two-thirds of schools calls out systemic failure

“We are failing our children at a systematic level.”

Principals representing more than two-thirds of OUSD schools — serving 73% of students — sent an urgent letter calling out low reading rates, short-term budget fixes, deep cuts to teacher professional development, and a lack of transparency in major hiring and contract decisions. They asked for a seat at the table and a real plan.

Signed by principals from more than 50 schools.

Read the full letter (PDF)

From the oversight commissions

The commissions voters created are objecting too

Measures G1, N and H each created an independent commission to verify that the money goes where voters were told it would go. Both commissions are now formally on record against how the district is spending it.

October 6, 2026Measures N & H

Oversight commission demands the return of $3.5 million

“Those were not aspirational commitments. They were conditions written into the Measure.”

The commission Oakland voters created to oversee Measures N and H formally demanded that the Board restore roughly $3.5 million removed from the College & Career Readiness reserve last June. The commission says the district used restricted parcel tax money to cover expenses the general fund had already paid — and that it did so after the commission expressly declined to authorize that use of the funds. It has asked the Board for a written response by November 11.

Signed by all five commissioners — David Kakishiba, Marc Tafolla, James Harris, Gary Yee and Tony Douangviseth. Copied to the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools.

Read the full letter (PDF)
September 8, 2026Measure G1

Measure G1 commission votes to disapprove a $5 million charge

“Our concern is that this plan will likely cost the District more than it saves.”

The Measure G1 oversight commission voted to disapprove a district proposal to charge $5.06 million in Academics Coordinator salary and benefit costs, reaching back to 2021–22, against the measure’s middle school grant fund. No school ever requested those positions through the application process the measure requires, and the commission found that the district’s own administrative regulations appear to prohibit the charges outright. It warned that an audit finding would be difficult to explain to voters before the 2029 renewal vote.

Adopted by motion and certified by the commission’s chairperson and secretary. The commission asked the Board to defer action until the district answers four questions on the record.

Read the full letter (PDF)

Principals and oversight commissions are sounding the alarm

Help elect a school board that listens to them.

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