Oakland schools superintendent says farewell after her firing from OUSD
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — On Thursday, the final day of the 2024-25 school year, superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell held a news conference before she departs from Oakland Unified School District. Johnson-Trammell was the longest-serving superintendent of OUSD in 55 years.
Her tenure officially ends on June 30, marking eight years at the helm of the second largest school district in the San Francisco Bay Area.
During the news conference, Dr. Johnson-Trammell highlighted accomplishments of her administration, including:
Paying off $100 million in loans and exited a State Receivership after 22 years.
Raising OUSD's graduation rate to its highest level in decades.
Navigating schools through the COVID pandemic.
Sparking public-private partnerships with Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, KABOOM!, and Trust for Public Land to improve nearly two dozen school yards.
Launching an all-electric school district bus fleet.
Following a tense school board meeting when tempers flared in April, board trustees narrowly voted 4-3 in favor of firing Johnson-Trammell. Trustees offered zero explanations for why they decided to get rid of their superintendent.
Johnson-Trammell did not attend the April meeting. However, she published a thank you letter writing, 'The last eight years have brought some of the most challenging and most defining moments in our district's history. Through it all, Oakland has shown what's possible when we stay grounded in our mission and vision and work in partnership for our students.'
OUSD officials have not yet announced who their next superintendent will be. Trustees held a closed-door meeting Wednesday night.
The NAACP Education Committee Oakland Branch wrote a letter to the school board raising alarms that OUSD is entering the summer in a 'leadership vacuum.'
The letter stated, 'We are deeply troubled by the Board's April 23rd vote to terminate Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell—an abrupt and destabilizing decision that has left a leadership vacuum in our district. Superintendent Johnson-Trammell's contributions were not only historic but stabilizing. She successfully led OUSD out of 22 years of state receivership and oversaw a $100 million state loan repayment—an extraordinary accomplishment for our district. Her removal, two years before her contract was set to end, was executed without a clear succession plan and has triggered widespread concern throughout our community for the past few weeks.'
NAACP leaders questioned whether the board's decision was made in the best interests of students, or influenced by political agendas and 'behind-the-scenes union maneuvering.'
Earlier this May, the school board voted fully reverse its plans to make sweeping cuts to afterschool, before-school, and summer programs. The planned cuts would have hacked expanded learning programs by up to 80% and impacted thousands of students who rely on the programs for academic support, mentorship, meals, and safety, advocates with Youth Together said. The board's reversal came after weeks of mounting public pressure.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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