Education

Aaron Garth Smith | 1.7.2025 7:00 AM

With a projected budget shortfall of $95 million next year, Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) latest plan to close schools would trim costly overhead. The district has lost over 2,200 students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—six schools have lost at least 20 percent of their enrollment. But school closures are contentious, and a similar attempt failed in 2022 after an uproar led to board members being recalled.

"We need more [schools] not less," protested a speaker at a recent board meeting. While it's unclear why the shrinking district would need additional schools, the vocal opposition made trustees think twice before going on the record, instead punting on a vote to........

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