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Oakland principals say they have reached a breaking point
Two weeks before the start of the school year, members of the United Administrators of Oakland Schools rallied during the district's leadership institute. “School board and district leaders spent all year cutting positions without a plan or a vision,” said UAOS president Cary Kaufman. “We are left to piece together how schools will open and how students and staff will be successful with no guiding light.” In a letter to the board, the union wrote: “We spend more money per pupil than most other districts in California; however, our decisions as a district have resulted in a structural deficit and cash-strapped schools. Cash-strapped schools will not change the conditions that result in 70% of students reading below grade level.”
The superintendent went around her own team on the budget — then she brought down the axe
New reporting reveals that Superintendent Denise Saddler sent the board a budget plan last December that her own chief of staff and finance chief had never seen. Days later, both were gone. The finance chief has said she left after the superintendent changed direction on the budget without telling her or other senior leaders in advance.
The county says Oakland has a decision-making problem, not a money problem
The county's top school official told parents that Oakland spends more per student than similar districts, yet keeps changing budgets and not following through on plans. She said the Board needs to make hard choices and stick to them.
The district agreed to big teacher raises without knowing what they would cost
After avoiding a strike, the district still hasn't paid teachers their promised raises because officials approved an 11–13% increase without a clear plan to pay for it. Budget numbers have shifted by over $100 million in just weeks.
Watch
Our Schools. Our City.
Our community panel on the future of Oakland schools, featuring Patrice Berry, Alysse Castro, and Lakisha Young.