News

School District Business Officer Vernon Hal Resigns

Published

6 years ago

December 31, 2017

Vernon Hal. Photo Courtesy of East Bay Express.

Oakland public schools’ Senior Business Officer Vernon Hal, who has served the district for two decades, turned in his resignation last week. His last day has not yet been announced.

Recently, Hal has been caught up in the controversy over the nearly $50 million deficit, misspending and subsequent school site cuts left in the wake of the administration of former Supt. Antwan Wilson.

Community supporters say that Hal has worked for years to help the district retain local control and authored major initiatives that helped the Oakland Unified School District regain fiscal solvency.

His opponents say he should not have allowed Wilson and his allies to run the district into a hole.One of the rare high-level administrators with roots in Oakland, he graduated from Skyline High School, and his mother taught in Oakland schools for 27 years. His son graduated from Oakland Technical High School.

Hal worked for OUSD two times. Between 1990 and 2000, he served as the district’s controller, assistant superintendent for business services and operations and associate superintendent for business services.

He left OUSD at the beginning of Dennis Chaconas’ administration, three years before the financial crisis that led to the state takeover.

Hal came back in 2000, in time to help the district emerge from state receivership.

“He helped steer the district back into local control, he helped us regain our bond rating, and he helped refinance our bonds, saving

Oakland taxpayers millions of dollars,” said OUSD Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

“For all that and much more, we are grateful,” she said. “We wish Vernon the best and look forward to his continued support of our schools.”

During the years he was not working for OUSD, Hal became managing director of an Oakland-based security broker, Impact Capital Management. He served as an audit manager for Deloitte & Touche in the 1980s.

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California Black Media

Yahushua’s Law: Senate Advances Bill to Protect Students from Extreme Weather

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3. The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Nyerere Robinson (Courtesy Photo)

By California Black Media

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3.

The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) and co-authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa), SB 1248 directs the California Department of Education to develop comprehensive guidelines for schools regarding student activity during all extreme weather conditions.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Hurtado said after introducing SB 1248.

The bill stipulates that schools must implement safety measures which include monitoring weather forecasts, postponing or relocating outdoor activities during hazardous conditions, and ensuring students have proper hydration and access to shade. It also requires schools to establish clear communication plans to keep parents, teachers, and students informed about potential weather hazards.

Supporters of the bill include the Robinson family, advocate Christina Laster, Bold Enterprises LLC, California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Familias Empoderadas del Valle Central National Action Network, The Black Student Advocate, and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thanking Hurtado for introducing this crucial legislation, Weber said, “The story of Yahushua Robinson last year was heartbreaking. We have protections for farm workers and other industries in the case of extreme weather, now climate change is forcing us to also extend similar protections to students at school.”