Facing $95M projected deficit, OUSD superintendent lays out plans to merge shared campuses

he Oakland Unified School District, facing a $95 million projected deficit for next year, is weighing plans to reduce administrative overhead by merging 10 schools on five shared campuses.

The Board of Education will discuss the mergers Wednesday and vote on the plan Dec. 11, Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said Friday in an open letter to the school community.

Children would continue to attend their current schools, she said.

"These changes will allow us to combine resources and staff to create stronger educational programs where our students are now," Johnson-Trammell said.

The proposed mergers include:

Manzanita Community School and Manzanita SEED Elementary School

Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy and Esperanza Elementary School

Think College Now and International Community School

Life Academy and United For Success Academy

EnCompass Academy and Acorn Woodland Elementary

"While these changes stem from budget challenges, our focus is on creating schools that better serve our students," Johnson-Trammell said.

She said the mergers would preserve each school's "unique strengths and traditions."

The deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year has grown 9.2%, the chief business officer, Lisa Grant-Dawson said Oct. 11.

The shortfall was caused by declining enrollment and the expiration of one-time investments for COVID, she said.