BOARD WATCH: 1st interim report, advancing the Citywide plan, and police-free schools plan

For more, click here for the full agenda.

You can watch the Zoom meeting by clicking on this link at 5:30pm or by calling (669) 900-9128, then entering the Webinar ID  893 7010 7790, then pressing “#”.

In addition to these board agenda items listed below, the District will be begin the meeting by honoring the service of the outgoing Board Directors: 

• Jody London for 12 years of service representing District 1
• Jumoke Hinton-Hodge for 12 years of service representing District 3
• Roseann Torres for 8 years of service representing District 5
• James Harris for 8 years of service representing District 7

Item #20-2403

Every year, OUSD submits interim financial reports for the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools certifying the status of their finances for the fiscal year. Today they will be presenting their 2020-21 First Interim Report to share the status of their budget as of October 30, 2020. OUSD is reporting a “qualified” certification on being able to meet its financial obligation for the remainder of the school year and the next two years. Generally, this school year’s budget is balanced: major changes were driven by being able to use last year’s ADA numbers regardless of a decrease in enrollment and attendance, negotiated agreements/salary changes, and Coronavirus Relief Funds allocation & spending. However, the District must begin to think strategically about making a total of $26.5M reductions in the coming school years. 

Revenues & Expenses: Based on the presentation numbers reported (see slides 4-7), we see a net balance of -$1M. When looking at unrestricted funds (money that the district has the most flexibility in allocating), we see a net change increase of $8M, largely due to an increase in revenue from the revised attendance projection. When looking at restricted funds (money that the district can only use in limited ways), we see a net change of -$9M, largely due to an increase from projected expenditures from classified and certified employee salaries that had been previously negotiated with labor unions.  

Long-Term Outlook: According to the presentation, in order for the District to stay solvent in the coming school years, they must consider cutting $16M (to be included on the 2nd interim) and another $10.5M from the 2022-23 budget (see slide 10).

Item #20-2146

Last month, Vice President Gonzales and Director Yee presented the first reading of a resolution with advances and recommendations for the transition and continuation of the Citywide Plan. The Citywide Plan is a multi-year plan to address quality, sustainability, and equity within the District in the five key areas: Facilities, Enrollment & Transportation, Charter Authorization, Sharing Best Practices, and Defined Autonomy. You can find a quick summary of progress made and work that remains to be done in our previous Board Watch email. 

Tonight, the Board will be doing a second read. Under this resolution:

• April 2021: The Superintendent shall present an analysis of the quality and fiscal impact of Cohorts 1 and 2.
• June 2021: The Superintendent shall present the Board with a list of proposed schools to expand, redesign, merge and/or close beginning Fall 2022.
• September 2021: The Board shall vote on each proposed expansion, redesign, merger, or closure. If they vote against a proposal, they shall identify reductions in ongoing General Fund expenditures for 2022‐23 that amount to at least the estimated ongoing net savings from that merger or closure by October 2021.
• Fall 2022: Expand, redesign, merge, and/or close schools as voted on by the Board.

Item #20-2147

Last month, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell shared the status of Phase 1 (Compliance) and previewed the process for Phase 2 (Transformation) of the George Floyd District Safety Plan to dissolve the Oakland Schools Police Department (OSPD) and reallocate funds for other safety plans. Tonight, the board will be reviewing and voting on the plan. If the plan is approved, you can expect the following: