OUSD board makes interim superintendent permanent - for a year

"Twenty minutes before midnight, the Oakland Unified School District board granted interim superintendent Denise Saddler a raise, an extension, and a title change. Saddler has led OUSD as interim superintendent since last July, and during her one-year term, the board approved a contract to search for a permanent superintendent. That work never began, board president Jennifer Brouhard previously told The Oaklandside, because balancing the budget took priority."

"At Wednesday's school board meeting, the board approved another one-year contract for Saddler that will run from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The board also gave Saddler a $10,700 raise, which will bring her salary to $367,765.45 for one year, and upgraded her title from interim superintendent to superintendent. Directors Mike Hutchinson and Patrice Berry voted against the new contract, while the other directors voted yes."

"Berry, who represents District 5, proposed bringing the contract back to a later meeting to allow more engagement with the public. "The shift from interim superintendent to superintendent is something we have to take seriously because of what it communicates to the public," Berry said. "I think it undermines the commitment we made this time last year about the process.""

"Board directors didn't address how the search for a superintendent to succeed her would be conducted or when it would begin. Saddler took the reins of OUSD as the district was leaving state receivership. During her tenure, she's been tasked with closing a $102 million deficit. Her chief of staff and chief business officer left their roles in December over disagreements about the path forward."

Twenty minutes before midnight, the Oakland Unified School District board approved an interim superintendent’s contract extension, pay increase, and title change. Denise Saddler has served as interim superintendent since last July, with a prior one-year term that included approval of a contract to search for a permanent superintendent. The search work did not begin because budget balancing took priority. The board approved another one-year contract running from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, and granted a $10,700 raise to bring her salary to $367,765.45. He title was upgraded from interim superintendent to superintendent. Two directors voted against the contract, citing concerns about public communication and the commitment to the superintendent search process.

Read at The Oaklandside