Students in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will be back in session starting on Monday, August 10. This will be yet another school year where Oakland students and staff will be working with considerably fewer resources and personnel than is needed. Last school year, the school district cut staff and resources to once again try to balance the school district’s budget. School closures, mergers, and personnel and budget cuts have plagued Oakland for decades now. Each year, it seems impossible, but Oakland school budgets are further cut and workers have to figure out how to function with even less. This is because each school year there are fewer educators and personnel employed in OUSD working to try and teach and care for some of the highest need students in California.
OUSD is not alone in suffering under budget cuts. Over the last few decades there has been a systematic attack on public education, a push from both Democrat and Republican parties to privatize public education through charter schools. In Oakland, approximately 30% of K-12 students are enrolled in charter schools, while California has about 12% of its student population in charter schools.
In addition, both state and federal governments continue to de-prioritize funding public education. The federal government prioritizes its military budget, and the state government only spends what it allocates on its public works. At the same time, entrepreneurs keep trying to push technology in classrooms. Curriculum companies force districts to throw out millions of dollars worth of curriculum every few years to purchase the latest round of curriculum, claiming it is the silver bullet for the 64% of American fourth graders who cannot yet read proficiently, and the 61% who are not yet proficient in math.
Lastly, Oakland, along with many other school districts across the country, is notorious for its mismanagement of funds. OUSD’s financial malpractice has led to a number of disasters in the school district that have greatly impacted this community. This has included school closures and mergers of community schools across Oakland for decades. There have also been a number of threats of school closures, which has torn apart communities who were in fear of losing their local public schools. The threat of school closure can also impact enrollment because some families leave the threatened school in fear of interrupting their child’s education, and other families hesitate to enroll in fear that the school will close.
Additionally, Oakland was in receivership from 2003-2025. This meant that the state bailed out Oakland Unified to the tune of $100 million, the largest bail out in California history, in exchange for control over the district’s day-to-day operations. Receivership essentially meant the district lost fiscal control until it was deemed to be in a more stable situation. This was another burden on educators and personnel who were closely monitored and forced to work on a very controlled budget.
Serving as a teacher in a district like Oakland Unified forces many to be activists in addition to being educators. Oakland teacher and personnel work contracts expire every two to three years and both teacher and personnel representatives serve on the collective bargaining team of the union, negotiating contracts throughout the school year. Oakland has been on strike three times since 2019. The union also held a one-day strike over school closures in 2022. In the spring of 2026, the buildup to a strike was strong, and teachers nearly went on strike, but the district and the union came to an agreement just days before the strike was set to start.
Despite all the painful cuts to budgets, educators, and personnel for the 2026-2027, a $38 million gap remains as a deadline approaches to finalize and adopt next year’s budget. As a result, Oakland needs to brace itself for another school year with inevitable cuts down the line. In addition, teachers are in another year of contract negotiation. A strike in the spring of 2027 is possible.
Oakland is another sad example of a part of the failing capitalist system that pits workers against one another, and forces people to fight over scraps. It doesn’t need to be this way. We need to defund and dismantle the military industrial system. We should live in a world where we prioritize education, healthcare, housing, and the well being of everyone!
