Oakland, CA – Last week, Council President Rebecca Kaplan sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom requesting Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) Emergency Loan be waived.
Governor Newsom’s directive to our State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, to form a panel of experts to determine the impact of charter schools is applauded by President Kaplan as “the kind of bold action we need to stabilize our school districts in California.”
Said President Kaplan: “In light of an estimated $21.5 billion surplus in the State budget, another opportunity presents itself that would complement this directive as relief from the repayment process would afford OUSD the opportunity to truly create a culture of long-term solvency.”
Currently Oakland teachers are striking for pay equity and smaller class sizes, and are fighting the anticipated closure of 24 Oakland schools. Forgiveness of this estimated $33,950,687 debt would greatly alleviate OUSD’s financial woes and could change the dialogue significantly.
Council President Kaplan hopes to start a conversation with the Governor and believes an equitable settlement can be reached in the best interest of Oakland’s school district and our students.