Approved as to Form and Legality
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY VICE MAYOR KAPLAN
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF ASSEMBLY BILL 1614 (MURATSUCHI)
THAT WOULD EXPRESS THE INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE THAT
THE STATE ASPIRE TO INCREASE THE BASE GRANTS FOR SCHOOL
DISTRICT FUNDING TO AMOUNTS EQUAL TO THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE PER-PUPIL FUNDING LEVEL WHICH WOULD INCREASE
THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL
DISTRICT WOULD RECEIVE ANNUALLY
WHEREAS, existing state law establishes a public school financing system that requires state funding for local education agencies to be calculated pursuant to a local control funding formula (LCFF), requires funding pursuant to LCFF to include, in addi tion to a base grant, supplemental and concentration grant add-ons that are based on the percentage of pupils who are English learners, foster youth, or eligible for free or reduced -price meals, served by the county superintendent of schools, school district, or charter school; and
WHEREAS, existing state law also specifies the amount of the base grant in the 2013–14 fiscal year, and requires that amount to be adjusted for changes in cost of living in subsequent fiscal years, and requires the Superintende nt of Public Instruction to compute the supplemental and concentration grant add-ons as certain percentages of the amount of the base grant; and
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Legislature that the state aspire to increase the base grants for local educa tion agencies to amounts equal to the national average per -pupil funding level; it is also the intent of the Legislature to apply a cost -of-living adjustment separate from, in addition to, and above the specified cost -of-living adjustment for purposes of c ertain funding provisions; and
WHEREAS, to address the long -standing, systemic funding issues impacting the most vulnerable districts in our state, ensure schools can meet existing cost pressures, and allow for future growth of instructional programs for all students, AB 1614 would increase the LCFF by $4.2 billion; and
2 WHEREAS, in 2003, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was placed under state receivership and was forced to accept a $100 million loan for an estimated $37 million -dollar deficit, which it has been repaying with interest; and
WHEREAS, despite state oversight and approval of its budgets, OUSD has not only remained in debt, but it has also closed 16 predominantly Black schools over the past ten years.
On January 31st, 2022, the School Board voted, without an equity impact anal ysis or community engagement, to close a dozen more schools serving predominantly Black and Brown students; and
WHEREAS, as schools, families, and students in Oakland and throughout California continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts need greater support to focus on sustaining and expanding a student-centered recovery; and
WHEREAS, all districts would benefit from increasing investments to public education for purposes including: scaling up high school programs to offer a full range of college and career preparation options, additional early intervention supports for special education students with disabilities, additional resources for English language learners, providing a broad range of professional development opportunities for new and veteran teachers, and implementing other strategies designed to enhance student achievement and close the achievement gap; and
WHEREAS, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, an estimated increase of $25.47 million will go toward OUSD; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council supports AB 1614 and hereby endorses AB 1614 and urges the California State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom to support its enactment into law; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Counc il directs the City Administrator or their designee to distribute this Resolution upon its adoption to Governor Gavin Newsom, State Assemblymember Muratsuchi, and state legislators representing the City of Oakland.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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