OUSD Chief Business Officer Lisa Grant-Dawson Explains Budget Issues in Latest Episode of Inside OUSDOakland – After five straight years of multi-million dollar budget adjustments including reductions, Oakland Unified School District remains in a state of tight budgets that require further adjustments. So, why does the District face such challenges? Chief Business Officer Lisa Grant-Dawson sat down on the District’s new TV show, Inside OUSD, for a discussion about the budget and the financial challenges the District continues to work to overcome.
This episode comes just days after the Board of Education voted to approve the District’s Third Interim Financial Report which updates our budget for this year (2021-22) and provides projections for future years. Grant-Dawson shared this presentation about the Third Interim at last Wednesday night’s Board meeting.
On Inside OUSD, Grant-Dawson spoke with Communications Director, John Sasaki, and explained the complexity of school finances, why the District has what could be classified as a longer-term budget crisis, how the number of schools the District has plays a role in the budget challenges, and what it will take to get the District on more stable financial ground. Here is her episode of Inside OUSD.
Grant-Dawson appears in the second episode of Inside OUSD. The first episode featured Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell speaking about the District’s Strategic Plan. You can see that episode below. Moving forward, this show will feature various District and school leaders speaking about issues important to the District, and how the District works to support students and families every day.
About the Oakland Unified School District
In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 77 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.
To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit ousd.org and follow us @OUSDnews.