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Oakland School Board to Grapple with $30 Million Shortfall, Despite Being Flush with Revenue

Published

10 years ago

January 6, 2017

In mid-December, the Post reported that the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) faced a budget shortfall of between $22 million and $30 million, which the district did not confirm or deny.

Now in an article this week, the SF Chronicle reports that Superintendent Antwan Wilson is expected to be getting ready to announce the worst, that “Oakland’s school spending (is) exceeding its revenue by $30 million next year.”

Wilson, who is leaving Oakland at the end of next month to head Washington, D.C. schools, told the Chronicle that OUSD can avoid a state takeover, such as the one in 2003 that left Oakland saddled with repaying a $100 million loan to the state and deprived residents of control over local schools for six years.

“This is all in front of us. This is all preventable,” Wilson told the Chronicle.

A number of school activists are asking how the school district could have such a large shortfall, because the budget was stable two-and-a half years ago when Wilson came to Oakland and since then has been flush with revenue from a variety of sources.

On top of its usual state funding, Oakland and other districts have received additional state income – in Oakland’s case, $29 million in 2014-2015, $36.6 million in 2015-2016 and is projected this year to receive $16.7 million – a total of over $82 million.

OUSD receives $12 million a year from the Measure N parcel tax, which passed in 2014, designed to upgrade secondary programs to reduce the drop-out rate and provide students with real world work experience.

Measure G1, passed in November, provides $12.4 million for 12 years to attract and retain teachers and enhance middle school arts and language programs. Sixty-five percent of that money is earmarked for employee salaries.

Responding to the Post’s questions about the budget, the district replied, “Each year the district undergoes a budgeting process, and every year we’ve balanced our budget under Superintendent Wilson.

“This is exactly what we set out to do this year. Having financial discipline can sometimes mean some hard choices. In the end, we want to ensure we are doing what’s right for students and putting them first.”

According to several board members, the district administration has not told the board about the causes of the deficit.

“Staff has not presented to us to this day any real analysis of how we got here. I have had to talk to people who used to work for the district and some who work here now,” said Boardmember Shanthi Gonzales.

Roseann Torres and Shanthi Gonzalez

“They are talking about laying out options of how to fix (the shortfall),” she said. “But somebody needs to be held accountable. We need to understand how we got here.”

“I feel like the public deserves an accounting,” she said, adding that both the board and administration should accept responsibility.

District enrollment is 1,000 students less than projected this year – which some observers estimate could account for as much as $10 million of the shortfall.

In addition, Gonzales said, “The board has voted to open new charter schools and in some ways has done the district a disservice. They are not just creating new options – they are also undermining the financial stability of the district,” which depends on student enrollment.

Boardmember Roseann Torres said that the administration is scheduling dates with board members one at a time about the deficit this week and next week.

“We’re going to be briefed by staff, one by one,” she said. “I’m doing my meeting next week.”

Torres said that in addition to the growth of charter schools, the district’s deficit can be traced in part to the large number of highly paid central office administrators.

“I personally think the big cause has to do with bringing in so many extra highly paid people, which was a big mistake. Some of us complained about it. That was never a secret,” she said.

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

17 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

19 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.