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After Decades of Financial Challenge, How Can Oakland Reorient Itself?

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Bibliographic Details
Title: After Decades of Financial Challenge, How Can Oakland Reorient Itself?
Language: English
Authors: Gill, Sean, Jochim, Ashley, Lake, Robin, Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
Source: Center on Reinventing Public Education. 2019.
Availability: Center on Reinventing Public Education. University of Washington Bothell Box 358200, Seattle, WA 98195. Tel: 206-685-2214; Fax: 206-221-7402; e-mail: crpe@u.washington.edu; Web site: http://www.crpe.org
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2019
Sponsoring Agency: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: School Districts, Charter Schools, Educational Finance, Financial Exigency, Enrollment Trends, Educational Change, Costs, State Aid, Financial Support, Elementary School Students, Expenditure per Student, Educational Equity (Finance), Declining Enrollment, Educational History, School Choice, School Closing, Money Management, Educational Facilities, Educational Quality, Strategic Planning, Special Needs Students, School Administration, Resource Allocation, Urban Schools
Geographic Terms: California (Oakland)
Abstract: New legislation in California will allow school districts, such as Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), to consider the "financial and academic impact" when approving or denying applications for new charter schools. OUSD has been in fiscal distress in the past and faces fiscal challenges that continue to play out in classrooms across the city. Teachers and families are right to want solutions, but independent reviews show that charter schools are not the primary cause of Oakland's troubles. Indeed, as described in this brief, enrollment in the district's schools has stabilized and revenues are at historic highs. The authors explore evidence related to the causes of OUSD's financial crisis and why previous efforts to right the ship have failed. With a renewed focus, can Oakland reorient itself as a system of schools--with charter schools and the larger community as partners--that will attract families back to the city and help stabilize OUSD finances? This brief points to a possible path forward.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2019
Accession Number: ED600044
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:New legislation in California will allow school districts, such as Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), to consider the "financial and academic impact" when approving or denying applications for new charter schools. OUSD has been in fiscal distress in the past and faces fiscal challenges that continue to play out in classrooms across the city. Teachers and families are right to want solutions, but independent reviews show that charter schools are not the primary cause of Oakland's troubles. Indeed, as described in this brief, enrollment in the district's schools has stabilized and revenues are at historic highs. The authors explore evidence related to the causes of OUSD's financial crisis and why previous efforts to right the ship have failed. With a renewed focus, can Oakland reorient itself as a system of schools--with charter schools and the larger community as partners--that will attract families back to the city and help stabilize OUSD finances? This brief points to a possible path forward.