Oakland teachers reach tentative deal with district after year of talks, but layoffs loom

The Oakland teachers’ union announced Friday that it has reached a tentative agreement with Oakland Unified School District after a year of negotiations, a strike authorization vote, and the district’s decision to move forward with plans to lay off roughly 400 employees.

In a statement, the Oakland Education Association said its bargaining team signed the tentative agreement just before 3 a.m. after 18 hours of negotiations.

“We are proud to announce that after 12 months of negotiations, and a resounding strike vote, we have come to an agreement with OUSD that will help us stabilize staffing in our district and provide much needed support for all our students,” the union said.

The union said the deal reflects a shift in district priorities after years of “turnover and vacancies caused by years of divestment in our students.” But they also warned that “the work is not over when our school board has just voted on 400 preliminary layoffs.”

Details of the tentative agreement posted on social media included improvements to special education, wage increases, and commitment to community and Black schools. The union said members will celebrate the deal, but they remain prepared to “fight to preserve these crucial positions” as the district finalizes its budget plans.

The agreement comes after the school board on Wednesday voted to lay off roughly 400 workers across central administration and the district’s roughly 80 schools. District officials said the layoffs are projected to save about $11 million next fiscal year as OUSD confronts a roughly $100 million structural deficit.

Interim Superintendent Denise Saddler has said the district’s enrollment has dropped by nearly 37%, from about 54,000 students to 34,000 students, while the number of campuses has remained the same. She said the district must reorganize based on the funding it receives from state and federal sources, which has declined following the expiration of one-time pandemic relief funds.

Some school leaders had warned that eliminating counselors, nurses, elective programs, and other support staff would harm students and strain campuses already facing staffing shortages.