OUSD starts year with wins, but faces challenges
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said there are wins and challenges this year for her district, as more than 30,000 students began the 2023-2024 school year on Aug. 7.
Teachers in the Oakland Unified School District started the year with a raise - the most significant for first-time teachers who are making $10,000 more than they would have a year ago.
"All of our teachers received a 10 percent retro, depending on where they are on the salary schedule, it's anywhere from 11 percent to 23 percent," Johnson-Trammell said, adding that this helps the district hire and retain teachers.
Nevertheless, there's still a shortage of teachers and other staff.
"We are just experiencing a shortage of educators," Johnson-Trammell said.
OUSD has 52 teacher vacancies, 31 teachers on special assignment vacancies, and 190 support and classified staff vacancies, which include early literacy tutors, education specialists and para educators.
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Johnson-Trammell said the district has programs to help teachers pass "Some of the tests that tend to be barriers and help them with tuition. That helps us in terms of attracting folks who want to be here, but just need some extra financial support."
She said without those programs and the extra teacher pay the district would be in a more dire situation with staffing.
Next year's budget will be tight, however, she warned.
"There's going to continue to be some tightening of the belt, and adjustments that are going to be made" in the next school budget, she said.
KTVU asked if that meant school closures are back on the table. Earlier this year the school board unexpectedly reversed a decision to close five Oakland schools at the end of this academic year.
"We are in challenging times across the state. We know those are conversations we have to continue to have," Johnson-Trammell said.
On a positive note, Johnson-Trammell said enrollment at OUSD this year is up by about 700 students. She said some of that is from additional transitional kindergarten classes, but that enrollment at middle and high schools has also increased.
"For now, we're thinking proactively on what can we do to attract students," Johnson-Trammell said. "Part of that focuses on improving our playgrounds, leveraging funds from the state and the parcel tax to add more programs."
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OUSD enrollment dropped by 2,000 students during the pandemic.
It has been a tumultuous few years for the Oakland Unified School District. There was a teacher strike in 2019, followed by more than a year of online schooling during the pandemic, and another, eight-day educator strike this May.
When asked what she would say or promise to parents who are eager for some stability, Johnson-Trammell said simply, "I try not to promise, because there are many things out of my control."
She said the City of Oakland and other government partners need to help with some of the driving factors behind declining student enrollment and teacher staffing.
"As a city, we need more support for housing, housing is a huge barrier for educators and folks in the public sector. It is one of the main drivers for folks moving out of the area," she said.
Johnson-Trammell said she wants to start the year with a "spirit of optimism" and when asked if she expected any additional staff strikes or work stoppages this year, she shook her head and was reluctant to even say the word "strike" aloud, adding: "I don't want put any negativity like that out in the atmosphere."