State education department rejects effort by Oakland Unified to avoid county oversight

The Alameda County Office of Education can impose stricter oversight of Oakland Unified’s budget and hiring practices, the California Department of Education has ruled.

The county office of education had warned the school board two weeks ago that it would bring in a fiscal management team to review the district’s finances, out of concerns that the board would be unable to cut tens of millions of dollars from its budget. The school board appealed to the state, and the state sided with the Alameda County Office of Education.