To the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education:

Oakland schools are in a financial emergency. With a projected $100 million deficit for 2026–27, OUSD is at risk of losing local control, facing state intervention, and experiencing deep cuts that will directly harm classrooms, students, and staff.

The Board’s December 3 meeting - where action was expected - was canceled, leaving only the December 10 meeting before critical County deadlines. This delay increases the urgency: December 10 is now the last opportunity for the Board to adopt a credible plan before the County reviews OUSD’s fiscal solvency.

We, the undersigned parents, educators, community members, organizations, and civic leaders, call on the Board of Education to adopt Director Mike Hutchinson’s fiscal framework as the foundation for OUSD’s required budget-balancing plan. It is currently the only proposal that acknowledges the full scale of the crisis, directs staff to produce actual solutions, and aligns with legally mandated timelines.

Oakland cannot afford further postponements, vague discussions, or political stalemates. Every delay pushes the District closer to insolvency and increases the likelihood of painful mid-year cuts to school sites.

We urge the Board to:

1. Adopt Hutchinson’s fiscal structure as the basis for the 2026–27 correction. (Attachments A, B and C)
2. Direct staff to return with specific, dollar-defined reductions totaling the required $100 million.
3. Release clear scenarios, timelines, and impact statements so the community can understand the trade-offs.
4. Take formal action at the December 10 meeting to meet County requirements and protect local control.

What happens if OUSD becomes insolvent?
Insolvency means the district runs out of money - and kids pay the price. The County takes over, and schools face sudden, mid-year cuts with no warning. Priority shifts from student-centered decisions to cuts driven purely by financial crisis. After-school care can disappear overnight. Arts, sports, and enrichment programs get slashed. Counselors, librarians, and support staff are reduced. Class sizes go up. School budgets freeze, teachers won't be able to buy basic supplies, and repairs go undone.

It creates chaos in classrooms, instability for kids, and lost opportunities that they'll never get back.
We cannot let this happen to Oakland’s students.

Oakland deserves a transparent, disciplined plan that protects classrooms and ensures that schools remain stable, open, and adequately staffed. The community is ready to support this work - but leadership must come from the Board.

December 10 is the deadline. Oakland students cannot wait. We call on the Board to act now.

Photo credit: (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)