The Oakland Unified School District will move forward under new leadership after the Board of Education voted Wednesday to remove its superintendent — a decision that came on the same night it was announced the district was leaving state oversight after more than 20 years.
In an at-times heated meeting, the board announced that during a closed session hearing it voted to approve a voluntary separation agreement with Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell.
Soon afterward, the district sent out a joint statement from board president Jennifer Brouhard and Johnson-Trammell saying she will remain as “superintendent emeritus” from July until Jan. 15, 2026.
An interim superintendent will be appointed in July.
“Superintendent Johnson-Trammell has done an extraordinary job over the past eight years, a historic tenure marked by stability, strong fiscal oversight, and improvements in student achievement,” the statement reads in part.
Johnson-Trammell and Brouhard said the board last year approved a new contract that allowed her to shift “responsibilities to support the transition to a permanent superintendent at the start of the 2026-27 school year.”
Setting a tone for more departures
Despite the good feelings imparted by the joint statement, at least one board member and many speakers at Wednesday’s meeting loudly decried the decision.
“I could have never imagined at the same time we are announcing leaving receivership, at the same meeting, a majority of the school board would vote to remove our superintendent,” said board member Mike Hutchinson, adding that the vote was 4-3 in favor of removal.
Hutchinson said under Johnson-Trammell’s leadership, OUSD was able to navigate out from under the supervision of a state trustee, who was appointed after the district went into receivership and was required to take out a $100 million state loan in 2003.
“We’re finally free of the oversight of the colonial model that we’ve had to operate under for almost a quarter of a century and we did it with our homegrown Black and Brown leadership here in OUSD,” he said.
He also said that because of the “nasty” way some board members have treated the district’s senior leadership, he expects other high-ranking officials to “follow our superintendent out the door.”
Hutchinson went on to accuse board members of colluding with the district’s teachers’ union, the Oakland Education Association.
OEA representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Hutchinson’s claim but did send out a news release supporting the board’s vote to remove Johnson-Trammell.
“OEA stands behind the leadership of Board President Brouhard and Directors (Valarie) Bachelor, (Rachel) Latta, and (VanCedric) Williams, whose vision reflects the moral, accountable, and responsible governance that Oakland’s students, families, educators, and communities deserve,” union officials said.
“While we have disagreed strongly on a number of issues, Dr. Johnson-Trammell is a daughter of Oakland and a product of our public schools. We thank her for her service and wish her the best moving forward,” said OEA president Kampala Taiz-Rancifer.
Decision met with cheers and jeers
Several speakers at Wednesday’s meeting accused the board of forcing out Johnson-Trammell without transparency or public input, although some praised the board for its decision.
In the joint statement issued after the vote, Johnson-Trammell was lauded for her many accomplishments as superintendent, including increased graduation rates, improved literacy and attendance and her strong fiscal leadership.
“As I prepare to step away from my role as your Superintendent on June 30, I do so with immense pride in what we’ve accomplished together,” she said in a separate statement to the school community.
“The last eight years have brought some of the most challenging — and most defining — moments in our district’s history. Through it all, Oakland has shown what’s possible when we stay grounded in our mission and vision and work in partnership for our students,” she said.