Oakland Unified risks state takeover if it fails to make budget cuts, officials warn

If Oakland Unified doesn’t make millions of dollars in budget cuts over the next four years, it could risk another state takeover, state and county officials said.

A bailout approved by the state Legislature in the AB 1840 education finance bill could relax the timeline for those cuts, but also requires the school district board to follow through on its plans to close schools and eliminate staff positions. The state funding is expected to help the district close its budget deficit over the next four years, with the first allocation coming in 2019-20 if the district meets certain “benchmarks.”