The Oakland Unified School District board voted Wednesday 4-1 in closed session to cut ties with the district’s superintendent of nearly 10 years, breaking her contract two years early and shocking community members.
“The district should be lucky to have someone from here that both cares and is qualified,” said Oakland resident Daniel Swafford on Facebook. “Do they not recognize they have somebody dedicated and talented that is wrangling a dysfunctional board?”
In a social media post Wednesday night, board member Mike Hutchinson said he was the lone dissenting vote against terminating superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell’s contract early and board members voted to begin an immediate search for a new superintendent to start July 1. Hutchinson also said board president Jennifer Brouhard did not report out the action taken in closed session at Wednesday night’s meeting.
Brouhard did not immediately respond to this news organization’s request for comment.
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The move to push out Johnson-Trammell – the district’s longest-serving superintendent in more than 50 years – comes less than a year after the board approved a final three-year contract extension through 2027. That contract included one final year leading the district’s day-to-day operations and two years to transfer her responsibilities and prepare the district for her successor to ensure a smooth transition as the district battles financial challenges.
Oakland Unified faces a $95 million budget shortfall and the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools has expressed deep concerns about the district’s finances. The district is projected to run out of cash as early as next school year, which could lead to another years-long state takeover like the district experienced in 2003 when it received a $100 million bailout loan due to insolvency.
Born and raised in Oakland, Johnson-Trammell worked as a teacher and administration in the district for 19 years before she became superintendent in 2017. She quickly worked to strengthen the district’s finances, cutting the district budget by $9 million in December 2017 and by an additional $5.5 million before the start of the 2018-19 school year.
