Oakland school board approves $103 million in cuts, but details still unclear

"The Oakland Unified School District approved a $103 million budget plan that includes vague cuts and hopes to boost attendance rates to generate additional revenue, in an effort to repair its bleak budget hole. If the district is unable to pass a balanced budget by June or runs out of cash, Oakland Unified could return to state control just months after exiting it."

"The plan includes $12 million in cuts to special education but doesn't outline how the cuts will be made. It leaves up to schools, rather than the board, about $32 million in cuts to school campus budgets trims that could hit athletics, clubs and library services. Brought forward by interim superintendent Denise Gail Saddler, the plan also proposes slashing central management staff, reducing overtime, consolidating academic programs, delaying non-critical campus and technology repairs and reducing academic internships and apprenticeships."

"To fill the budget gap, the district also hopes to bring in $20 million by increasing attendance 2% for this year and 2% for the 2026-27 school year since schools in California are funded based on the number of students who attend each day. But the budget scenario doesn't include how Oakland Unified plans to increase attendance both years. It's a challenging goal given that schools across the Bay Area, including Oakland Unified, are struggling with declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism."

Oakland Unified approved a $103 million budget plan relying on vague cuts and attendance-driven revenue to address a large budget gap. The plan passed 5-2 amid board infighting and two dissenting members. It proposes $12 million in unspecified special education cuts and shifts about $32 million in campus reductions to individual schools, risking athletics, clubs and libraries. Other measures target central management, overtime, program consolidations, deferred repairs, and reduced internships and apprenticeships. The district projects $20 million from boosting attendance 2% each year and $1.5 million from expanded transitional kindergarten but offers no clear implementation plan; failure to balance the budget by June could return the district to state control.

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