Education

School Board Focuses on Balanced Budget After This Year’s $17 Million Shortfall

Published

7 years ago

October 6, 2017

District 3 Boardmember Jumoke Hinton Hodge

Oakland Board of Education members are gaining a deeper understanding of operating public schools in tough times as they work with new superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell to maintain a balanced budget after former Superintendent Antwan Wilson left the district with a two-year $32 million shortfall, including $17 million this year.

In interviews with the Oakland Post, several board members discussed what went wrong under Wilson and the prospects for the school district in the next year or two.

Board President James Harris, who represents District 7, said that though the budget is fragile, “Right now nothing indicates we are going to run out of money.”

“If we put the changes in place, I believe we will see our way through,” he said, “We don’t believe there will be (new) money from the state.”

James Harris

He said the “encroachment” of special education on the district’s general fund has grown by $5 million a year, “though services have not gotten better. In some cases, they have gotten worse.”

“We are going to make cuts or change the kind of services we offer in special education,” Harris said.

Harris says the district has to close schools.

“We need to make some reductions in our portfolio,” he said. “I think we’re going to have to downsize.

“There is no wiggle room for anything else. I think the board is willing to do that.”

District 3 Boardmember Jumoke Hinton Hodge pointed to school sites and principals who overspent their budgets last year and disputed those who pinned the blame for the district’s shortfall on former Supt. Wilson.

While Wilson did not talk about a deficit and budget cuts before he left, she said, “We knew we had to make cuts. We talked about it in terms in realigning (spending) priorities.”

She said board members who fault Wilson for hiring too many central office administrators are “kind of disingenuous. We (board members) approved this.”

Hinton Hodge disagreed with budget staff members who recently reported to the Budget and Finance Committee that Wilson’s administration had hired 75 employees, mostly in the central office, who were not in the budget.

“I know the narrative is about the attempt to hire 75 people without a budget,” she said. “That is not true. I don’t know who made that up. There was a redesigning of job descriptions. There were new (job) positions, adjustments of assignments, but there were not necessarily new people.”

She said a number of district schools, like MetWest and Coliseum College Prep Academy (CCPA), are too small and need to expand. “How can they serve an additional 100 students?” she asked. “I’d like to increase their numbers so they can be self-sufficient.”

District 5 Boardmember Shanthi Gonzales said staff did not inform the board until a few weeks ago about the 75 employees who were hired last year but were not in the budget.

“What’s disheartening is that staff knew this was going on, and nobody alerted the board,” she said.

“Some of the 75 positons were brand new people,” she said. “Some people already worked within the district but were put in new roles. In most cases, their salaries went up,” but their old positions were in the budget and remained unfilled.

In addition, she said, the district’s $30 million budget shortfall was never presented to the board last year.

Aimee Eng

“They tried to make it less serious than it really was,” Gonzales said. “Staff were getting pressured not to be honest (to the board) about what the extent of the crisis was.”

“(Now), everyone (on the board) is committed to staying out of receivership. It’s not good for the community to lose democratic control of our schools.”

Aimee Eng, representing District 5, chairs the board’s Budget and Finance committee. She said she is basically optimistic about the district’s prospects.

“I am feeling good (about the superintendent). Her first priority is fiscal vitality. She not only listens, she understands the district. She is open and collaborative,” said Eng.

She said she does not want to rush into making the decision to close schools.

“Closures is one of several options. I myself have been pretty cautious about (deciding) to close schools. If you look at just the numbers (of schools and students), you are not necessarily looking at the local context.If you look at the local context, you know that it is just not that simple,” she said. “There is a lot of pressure to act really quickly, but there are a lot of questions that really need to be answered.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Parent-Led Group, Oakland REACH to Hold Oakland Schools Accountable

Don't Miss

To Honor World Food Day, Mandela Foods Co-op Hosts Nutrition Justice Advocate

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.