Education
School Advocate Finds Oakland Schools Lost Money by Closing Roots, Kaiser and Other Schools
OUSD claims but shows no proof that closing more schools would save $2 million.
A community education advocate has written a public letter using district data to show that the Oakland school district did not save money but instead lost over $700,000 when it closed two well-loved elementary schools.
Carol Delton, a community education advocate who has dedicated a lot of her time to keeping track of Oakland school district’s finances, has raised disturbing questions about the lack of transparency, accountability and seemingly inaccurate budget numbers that the district and its hands-on overseers at the Alameda County Office of Education, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT) and the State Department of Finance are using to force the district to close schools and gut school site educational programs.
Delton, a retired school-based speech pathologist and Oakland resident, wrote an open letter October 17 to the OUSD school board and superintendent, questioning a proposal to cut $2 million from next year’s school budget to make up for savings that would be supposedly lost if the district does not go ahead with a plan to close more schools in 2022-2023.
Countering that proposal, Delton found that the district’s own documents show that the district has lost money when it closes schools. One document, released last May, showed that changes in facilities when (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) schools were closed, the net costs to the district, including facilities costs, were $700,896.33.
In addition, the district lost state revenue when students left the school district amid the closures and mergers. According to one report, the closures meant that the district lost 9% or 14 students from Roots Academy, 17% or 37 students from Kaiser Elementary and 15% or 14 students from Oakland SOL.
“Without counting the loss of siblings to OUSD enrollment and without counting other students whose loss from the district may not have been presented, students leaving the district from just those three schools approaches a million-dollar loss … funding that has not been factored in,” wrote Delton in her open letter.
“As a result, it is difficult for me to believe that any plan of closures and mergers could result in a $2 million savings,” Delton wrote.
Looking at the pattern of nearly 20 years of school closings forced on the district by its overseers, Delton wrote, “It was clear that in years when OUSD closed schools, the district lost enrollment and in years when OUSD did not close schools, enrollment was up.”
Further, she said she saw that the district presented rosy projections that were not realized when it decided to close these schools. For example, looking at the projection prior to the Kaiser closure, “you will … see under-projections of enrollment loss.”
“Please consider that the enrollment loss pattern for this year that seems to be emerging would be 400% worse if it followed the percentages of district enrollment loss occasioned by recent closure/mergers.”
Delton also looked at the lack of transparency of these financial decisions, which makes it difficult for her and other members of the public to look at what the district is doing with public money.
“I am deeply concerned about the proposal to cut $2 million from the 2022-23 budget … has had ZERO public exposure and ZERO committee discussion before it comes to the board for a vote,” she wrote.
“While it was announced as Item G-1 of the 10/14/2021 Budget and Finance Committee Meeting, no documents were ever posted and, at the meeting, the Committee Chair announced the discussion would not take place and that she was receiving messages about running over time.” Delton wrote.
The Post requested the district respond to the issues raised by Delton in her letter. Here is the response the Post received on Wednesday, October 20:
“Rather than consolidating schools, the Board of Education has elected to cut $2 million in ongoing expenditures from the 2022-23 budget. On Oct. 27, the Board will decide how to make those reductions,” the district wrote.
“The Board and Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell and her team have been transparent about the financial issues that face the district. We appreciate input from all stakeholders including students, staff, families, and members of the community.”
Community members who would like to follow the OUSD Board discussion can attend the meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, in person or on Zoom. Delton’s letter is available online at www.postnewsgroup.com
The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.
