Press Release: ACOE and Oakland Unified to Continue Intensive Support Collaboration for OUSD Fiscal Operations

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Alameda County Office of Education
Michelle Smith McDonald, Director of Communications and Public Affairs
510-670-4163

Oakland Unified School District
Valerie Goode, Deputy Chief, Communications and Public Affairs
510-679-7790

January 31, 2020

PROGRESS REPORTED AS COLLABORATIVE WORK CONTINUES BETWEEN ACOE AND OUSD ON DISTRICT FISCAL VITALITY PLAN

Hayward, CA - Having made significant progress in multiple areas addressed in Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) Fiscal Vitality Plan, the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) and OUSD are continuing the collaboration in which ACOE provides intensive support and technical assistance for OUSD’s fiscal operations.

ACOE’s intensive support team and OUSD’s fiscal staff and leadership have made critical inroads in the fiscal operations objectives as outlined in this progress report. Most notably, the long-standing recommendation for OUSD to improve its position control practices is well underway, with 16 of the 23 intensive support recommendations fully or partially implemented and the remaining recommendations targeted for completion before the end of the fiscal year. Position control refers to the coordination of human resources, budget, and payroll so that all positions are appropriately approved, budgeted, and paid.

Meaningful progress is also well underway toward implementing recommendations for improvement in payroll and benefits, with 14 of the current 21 intensive support recommendations fully or partially implemented. While many of the position control and payroll recommendations will spur improvement in internal controls and fraud prevention, there are numerous other objectives which will require significant focus by the ACOE and OUSD teams in the coming months.

ACOE and OUSD initiated this collaborative effort in April 2019, evaluating their partnership at six-month intervals with the next checkpoint taking place on or about June 30th, 2020. The goal of the intensive support is to complete the current objectives and accelerate implementation of the District’s Fiscal Vitality Plan Recommendations.

“Our shared efforts to address long-standing issues that have prevented Oakland Unified from attaining fiscal stability are beginning to show progress,” said Alameda County Superintendent of Schools, L. Karen Monroe. “We anticipated from the start that this could be an extended process, but I am heartened by the dedication and hard work that it is taking every day to make meaningful steps forward. ACOE continues to stand in partnership in the service of the children and the families of Oakland.”

“After years of budget challenges, our improved fiscal management practices are yielding important results,” said OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “I am confident with this support from ACOE, and other efforts to implement our fiscal vitality plan, we will reach a place of stability that our students and staff want and need us to be. We look forward to continued partnership with ACOE to make lasting improvements to our systems.”

While engaging in this support, ACOE continues its mandated fiscal oversight role, which includes reviewing the District’s annual budget and Interim Budget Reports to ensure that the District can meet its financial obligations. OUSD’s Board of Directors maintains full local control and receives regular updates on the progress of the collaboration. Fiscal Oversight Trustee Christopher Learned continues to monitor and evaluate OUSD’s decisions that impact the District’s fiscal health.

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View Progress Report

About ACOE
The Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE), under the leadership of County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe, serves as liaison between the California Department of Education and the 18 Alameda County public school districts that serve more than 200,000 students and 10,000 teachers. ACOE provides oversight of district budgets and Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs). ACOE also directly operates schools that serve Alameda County most vulnerable students: Court Schools at the Juvenile Justice Center, ACOE Opportunity Academy schools serving students 16 and older seeking a high school diploma, and Community Schools that serve foster youth, students in substance abuse treatment, pregnant and parenting teens, Probation-referred youth, and students expelled from their resident school districts. ACOE also runs the Infant & Family Support Program, which provides individualized service for children from birth to three years and their families. For more information, visit www.acoe.org.

About OUSD
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 83 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.

To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit OUSD.org and follow us @OUSDnews.

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