Central Office: A Hub of Essential Service

OUSD Is a City and Someone Has to Run It

Oakland Unified serves approximately 34,000 students and employs more than 6,000 workers across 80+ schools, making it a "city" about three times the size of Emeryville.

Like any city, it takes an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work to keep it running every single day. Think about what any city needs to function: roads and transportation, food, safety, health care, buildings, technology, and thousands of people trained and ready to do their jobs. OUSD is no different.

Every morning before a teacher walks into a classroom, a great deal of work has already happened behind the scenes. Someone made sure the teacher got paid. Someone made sure the building’s heat was turned on. Someone handled the legal paperwork for a student who needs special services. Someone kept the school's computer system running. Someone made sure the bus showed up on time.

That is what the Central Office does. It is not a layer of management sitting above schools. It is the infrastructure that keeps a "city" of 34,000 students and 6,000+ workers running safely and legally every single day.

Central Office is responsible for:
Paying more than 6,000 employees on time, every pay period
Recruiting, training, and supporting teachers, principals, counselors, custodians, food service workers, bus drivers, and many more
Feeding students: Nutrition Services prepares and delivers thousands of meals every school day
Getting students to school safely, coordinating transportation across dozens of routes
Keeping campuses safe with campus safety staffing and emergency protocols for every school
Maintaining 80+ school buildings and grounds
Operating the technology systems schools rely on daily for learning applications, writing papers, research, coding, and administrative tasks like  attendance, grades, and communication
Ensuring students with disabilities receive the legal services they are due
Managing legal and compliance obligations that protect students, families, and employees
Overseeing all financial operations for a nearly $1 billion annual budget

Central Office Is Taking Deep Cuts

So that the District can keep operating independently, cost savings starts with reductions at Central Office.

Central Office is cutting at a higher rate than school sites, that is what "Scenario 3" requires. This means fewer positions, reorganized teams, reduced outside contracts, and tighter spending across every division: Governance, Academics, Talent, and Business & Operations.

Every reduction at Central Office is a choice to protect what happens in classrooms.