Education

OUSD May Receive Millions in State Aid – But the Money Comes with Strings

Published

8 years ago

September 14, 2018

Parents and teachers protest last school year against cuts to programs and layoffs at school sites. Photo by Ken Epstein.

The State of California is set to approve a law that would relieve the Oakland Unified School District’s ongoing financial distress, but the grant comes with strings—which in the worst case could mean the state and its affiliated agencies could require OUSD to close dozens of schools, sell or lease surplus property and lay off hundreds of teachers, nurses, cafeteria workers and custodians.

The trailer bill (AB-1840 Education Finance) has already passed the State Legislature and is now awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. Brown, who was reportedly involved in crafting the legislation, is said to be likely to sign the bill.

Under terms of the bill, Oakland and Inglewood (which is in the same boat as Oakland) would receive aid from the state through 2022, (a total for Oakland of about $34.7 million), which would pay 75 percent of the district’s projected operating deficit in 2019-20, up to 50 percent of the projected operating deficit in 2020-21 and as much as 25 percent of the operating deficit the following year.

The bill also includes mandated “benchmarks,” which the district must meet in order to receive the state grant.

“OUSD will be required to partner more closely with county and state officials, adopt multi-year financial projections that would eliminate its deficit, and produce a plan to right size the district,” by closing or consolidating schools, according to the district’s explanation of the bill.

“We appreciate the partnership with (the agencies) and our legislative delegates for working with us to address our pressing financial situation. We know the benchmarks outlining accountability and sound fiscal practices will help guide us as we continue building a solid and sustainable foundation for the district using the policies set forth by our own Board of Education,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

“We must act with urgency,” she said, speaking at a recent district committee meeting. “We’ve simply run out of time.”

Many Oakland educators and parents are encouraged by the prospect of financial relief to the public schools. But many expressed concern about the agenda of the agencies that would have the final say-so about whether the annual cuts the district is proposing meet official mandates.

These agencies, the Alameda County Office of Education and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), a state-funded nonprofit that advises districts on financial matters, have a long record in Oakland of advocating austerity, school closings and layoffs.

Both agencies played a large role in pushing OUSD into receivership (2003-2009) and forcing the district to take a $100 million state loan, which it did not ask for and had no control over spending.

Despite their influence over district policy for the six years of state receivership, neither agency has taken any responsibility for saddling OUSD with debt, their failure to balance the district’s budget or to institutionalize adequate financial controls.

“The state support provides relief in the near term, giving us the opportunity to implement longer term strategies to create a sustainable, quality school district for years to come,” said district spokeswoman Valerie Goode, quoted in EdSource. “The truth is, even with this support, we will need to continue making hard decisions to reduce our budget, right-size the district and continue improving our financial practices.”

According to district sources, OUSD must cut $30 million by June of 2019, which includes $20 million to eliminate a structural deficit and $10 million in reserves. It is still unclear how the district will pay raises for teachers, who have been working for a year without a contract.

Because the state grant would be one-time money, it would not eliminate the district’s structural deficit. But the grant would allow OUSD to slow down the cuts, spreading them over a several-year period, said School Board President Aimee Eng.

Oakland has its own financial problems, said Eng, but like other districts throughout the state, such as Los Angeles and Sacramento, “We’re in a place with flat revenue and dramatically increasing expenditures.”

The Alameda County Office of Education recently rejected OUSD’s three-year budget plan, saying it did not adequately address needed budget reductions. The school board has created a special committee to recommend the $30 million in budget cuts to avoid future deficits.

In a letter to community supporters of public education, Oakland Education Association President Keith Brown was positive about the state grant and told the community that the bill had broad support in the legislature and was unstoppable. “We will have opportunities later to weigh in on the requirements,” if the agencies push the district to consolidate schools or sell surplus property, he said.

One parent who has been following the progress of the state bill closely is Nilofer Ahsan, a member of Equity Allies for OUSD, an all-volunteer organization of Oakland parents and community members.

“There is a multi-million-dollar question facing all of Oakland,” she said. “It is true the district is in fiscal crisis and needs to fix those issues. But the question is: How are we going to be sure the changes are going to be good for students and families in the long run?”

“What will FCMAT and the County Office consider to be an adequate plan?” Ahsan asked. “The fear is that these (requirements) will be tied to deep austerity measures: School closures and losing school staff.”
“There’s no denying tough decisions will need to be made. As a community, we’re going to feel every single cut.”

Realistically, not all of the cuts can come from central office staff, she said “The cuts will be felt at the schools.”

Parent activist Anne Swinburn has also been closely following the state bill.

OUSD is in financial distress “for a bunch of reasons,” including many that are at least partly the responsibility of the state and the Legislature: state receivership and the expansion of charter schools to almost one-third of schools and students in Oakland.

“The district clearly needs financial relief. It’s important that we remember the situation we are in is because of actions that happened at the state level, not just locally.”

“We really need for the state loan (a $40 million debt still outstanding) to be cancelled, and we need the Legislature to change the charter laws, so Oakland can decide locally what schools are opened and where they are located.”

“This bill gives the county superintendent and FCMAT the power to require OUSD to close schools, which we already know they want OUSD to do,” she said.

School board members can follow two different paths—they can try to find cuts that do not involve closing neighborhood schools, or they can decide to let the state and FCMAT have their way, Swinburn said.

People should understand that closing schools does not save money, she said. “The big cost of operating a school is teacher salaries,” which are not reduced by closing a school and moving students to other locations.

However, closing schools could lead to a loss of students who leave the district for charters or private schools and cause “incredible hardship in Oakland,” she said, noting that the national research does not indicate that districts save money when they close schools.

“Kids in Oakland schools are already facing high levels of trauma and school instability in their lives,” she said. “This is not the kind of instability we owe to Oakland kids.”

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Bay Area

How Is AI Affecting California? The State Wants You to Share Your Story

The program marks the first time the state has opened the platform to all Californians. State officials said the effort is designed to give residents a direct role in discussions about how AI should be regulated and used as the technology rapidly expands across industries.

Published

1 week ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced May 7 that California is expanding its Engaged California digital democracy initiative statewide, inviting residents to help shape future state policies on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on jobs and the economy.

“We’ve got to be clear-eyed about this moment: AI is moving fast, bringing enormous opportunity, but also real risks,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians deserve a seat at the table as we shape what’s to come.”

The initiative will roll out in two phases. Beginning immediately, Californians can sign up online to share how AI is affecting their work and communities and provide ideas for possible government action. Later this summer, a smaller group reflecting the state’s workforce demographics will participate in live discussions focused on developing policy recommendations.

State officials said the goal is to identify areas of agreement among Californians and provide policymakers with public feedback as the state develops future AI regulations and workforce strategies.

Engaged California is modeled after digital democracy programs used in Taiwan and is intended to encourage structured public discussion rather than social media-style debate. Officials described the effort as a form of “deliberative democracy” aimed at helping residents engage directly in state decision-making.

“The more Californians are engaged in the democratic process, the better able we’ll be to confront the challenges we face together,” said Nick Maduros, California Secretary of Government Operations, in a statement.

The statewide launch builds on two earlier pilot programs. One pilot gathered public input following the Los Angeles firestorms to help guide recovery efforts, while another collected ideas from state employees about improving government operations.

California has positioned itself as a national leader in AI policy and development. Since 2023, the Newsom administration has introduced initiatives focused on responsible AI use in government, cybersecurity protections, workforce training and regulations targeting risks such as deepfakes and AI-generated robocalls.

The state has also partnered with companies in Silicon Valley — including NVIDIA, Google, Adobe, IBM and Microsoft — to expand AI education and workforce training programs across California schools and universities.

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Advice

Book Review: Books for College-Bound Students

The kind of workday your Grandpa had is probably over, and you can’t count on toiling at the same place for 40 years for a pension and a gold watch. You already know that, and these books will help you decide your next step. You’ll learn what kind of worker you are, what’s stopping you from finding a job or occupation you’ll love, how to determine the purpose you envision for your future, and how to get where you need to be.

Published

1 week ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Book covers. Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Authors: Various, Copyright: c.2026, Publishers: Various, SRP: $21.00 – $29.00, Page Counts: Various

The videos and news reports were inspiring.

In them, a hesitant prospective college student became a happy, new college-bound student with the click of a key. They were accepted into the college of their dreams – so how can you get the same feeling next spring, when you’re the one with the highest of hopes?

You can start by reading these great books and sharing them with your family…

You probably already know that getting into the college of your choice is not something you do last-minute. In “The People’s Guide to College Applications: A Week-by-Week Approach to Writing, Connecting, and Getting in” (Prometheus Books, $ 21.95), Jill Constantino takes you through each step, but not in a frantic way. There’s no pressure here, just easy-to-grasp, makes-sense methods to apply for the college you want. There are reminders here, things you can’t forget and things you can, hints on asking for referrals and writing essays, and plenty of reminders to take a deep breath. Bonus: it’s also a book for parents, who may feel just as much pressure as their child does.

Okay, but let’s say that you’re an adult, a parent who’s sweating those college applications, classes, and the FAFSA for yourself, ugh! Then you’ll want to read “Student Parent: The Fight for Families, the Cost of Poverty, and the Power of College” by Nicole Lynn Lewis (Beacon Press, $26.97). an urgent call meant for nontraditional students who are also Black, Latinx, gay, Moms, or Dads.

Inside this book, you’ll find stats and stories that may already sound familiar, tales of not enough money, not enough support, not enough arms or sleep or resources. If you’re looking for a book of advice, this isn’t it, though. It’s more of a resource that you’ll want to take to your guidance counselor or any local politician.

Alright, but what if you’ve decided that college can wait? Is that okay? Look for “The Mission Generation: Reclaim Your Purpose, Rewrite Success, Rebuild Our Future” by Arun Gupta and Thomas J. Fewer (Wiley, $29.00) because – guess what? – you have many options for your future.

The kind of workday your Grandpa had is probably over, and you can’t count on toiling at the same place for 40 years for a pension and a gold watch. You already know that, and this book will help you decide your next step. You’ll learn what kind of worker you are, what’s stopping you from finding a job or occupation you’ll love, how to determine the purpose you envision for your future, and how to get where you need to be. This book isn’t just for high schoolers, but for anyone ages 16 and beyond who’s feeling restless, ready for change, or who’s thinking about some kind of purposeful retirement.

And if these aren’t the college-based or not-college-bound books you need, then be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help on ideas, how-to’s, test prep books, or study guides. They’ll have books for you, and maybe a little inspiration, too.

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Arts and Culture

Against All Odds: Mary Jackson’s Journey to NASA Engineer

Jackson’s life took a significant turn when she was offered the opportunity to work in a wind tunnel, a facility used to test the effects of air moving over aircraft structures. It was here that her passion for engineering truly took flight. However, there was a challenge: to become an engineer, she needed to take advanced courses that were only offered at a segregated high school.

Published

1 week ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Mary Jackson. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

When we talk about breaking barriers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the name Mary Jackson deserves a place at the top of the list.

Jackson was born in 1921 in Hampton, Virginia, a place that would later become central to her groundbreaking work. From an early age, she showed a strong aptitude for math and science—subjects that, at the time, were not widely encouraged for African American women. But Jackson was not one to be limited by expectations. She earned degrees in mathematics and physical science from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), setting the foundation for a career that would change history.

Before joining NASA, Jackson worked as a teacher and later as a research mathematician at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the agency that eventually became NASA. Like many African American women of her time, she began her career as a “human computer,” performing complex calculations by hand. It was in this environment that she worked alongside brilliant minds like Katherine Johnson, forming part of a powerful group of African American women whose calculations helped launch America into space.

Jackson did something truly remarkable. She petitioned the city of Hampton for permission to attend those classes. She didn’t accept “no” as an answer. And she won.

In 1958, Jackson became NASA’s first African American female engineer.

But Jackson’s impact didn’t stop there.

Later in her career, she chose to step away from her engineering position—not because she couldn’t continue, but because she wanted to make a difference. She moved into roles focused on equal opportunity, working to ensure that women and minorities had access to the same opportunities she fought so hard to get.

Jackson’s story gained wider recognition through the book and film Hidden Figures, which highlighted the contributions of African American women at NASA. But long before the spotlight found her, Jackson was doing the work—quietly, persistently, and brilliantly.

Jackson retired from Langley in 1985. Among her many honors were an Apollo Group Achievement Award and being named Langley’s Volunteer of the Year in 1976. She served as the chair of one of the center’s annual United Way campaigns and a member of the National Technical Association (the oldest African American technical organization in the United States).

She and her husband Levi had an open-door policy for young Langley recruits trying to gain their footing in a new town and a new career. A 1976 Langley Researcher profile might have done the best job capturing Mary’s spirit and character, calling her a “gentlelady, wife and mother, humanitarian and scientist.”

For Jackson, science and service went hand in hand.

She died on Feb. 11, 2005, at age 83, at a convalescent home in Hampton, Virginia.