OUSD Board: New Year, Old Problems, and the test of true leadership 

Leadership is tested most in moments of strain. When resources are tight and decisions are difficult, the question is not only what choices leaders make, but how they make them. Real leadership is not about control or convenience. It is about building bridges across differences, listening deeply, asking hard questions, and bringing people with competing priorities toward shared solutions. It does not silence voices – it learns from them. While not every perspective can drive the final outcome, every voice deserves to be heard. 

That belief is deeply rooted in Oakland. Over time, voters have consistently chosen more participation, not less.  Over multiple election cycles, Oakland voters have made their values unmistakingly clear. They have chosen to expand participation in school board elections – approving Measure QQ to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote and Measure S to extend voting rights to non-citizen parents and caregivers. They have elected board members to represent their diverse interests, expanding who has a seat at the table, and affirming that public institutions are strongest when they reflect the voices of the people they serve. 

Every trustee is elected to be a megaphone for their constituents’ values, concerns, and hopes. When leaders arbitrarily restrict that voice – based on favor, disfavor, or political alignment – they are not just sidelining a colleague. They are effectively disenfranchising the voters who sent that person to represent them.

This moment matters because leadership is being tested not only by the difficulty of the decisions ahead, but by how those decisions are made. Budget cuts may be unavoidable. But democratic leadership is not a line item in the budget, and the erosion of democratic process is not inevitable. It costs nothing to lead transparently, to respect voices voters sent to the table, and to make space for disagreement in the service of better decisions. Leadership that honors representation and community voice does not come with a price tag – and it should not be placed on the chopping block. 

What we are seeing play out now is in direct conflict with that belief. This erosion of leadership is most visible at the top of the Board. Decisions made by current Board leadership signal a troubling shift away from Oakland’s long-standing commitment to inclusive, community-driven governance. The overconcentration of committee leadership among a few members, the marginalization of directors elected by Oakland voters, and limiting directors’ participation all undermine representative governance. Even more alarming is the decision to reduce public comment to one minute – down from two – even when only a single speaker is present. These are not the actions of leadership confident in its vision. They reflect an effort to consolidate decision-making and limit accountability.

This troubling governance posture has been compounded by a growing leadership vacuum across the district. The loss of Chief Academic Officer Lisa Grant-Dawson and the transition of Dan Berdino have left OUSD without steady, credible guidance at a time when clarity and courage are essential. Grant-Dawson’s insistence on accountability and alignment was leadership in action — and its absence is already felt. These staff shifts reflect a troubling pattern: leadership treating pushback as disloyalty rather than as necessary feedback. Effective leaders expect resistance, invite critique, and do the difficult work of synthesizing competing perspectives into stronger decisions.

OUSD stands at a crossroads. The fiscal crisis is real, and the decisions ahead will be difficult. But how leaders choose to lead – whose voices they make room for, whose expertise they respect, and whose participation they protect – will define this moment far more than any single budget decision. Oakland has never shied away from hard conversations. What the district needs now are leaders willing to meet this moment — leaders who can say, with integrity: This is difficult work, and I am here to listen, to learn, and to lead us forward together.