Some Oakland schools won’t get improvements under 2020 facilities bond due to inflation

The Oakland Unified School District board voted Wednesday to reallocate $65 million in funds from Measure Y, a 2020 voter-approved facilities bond, in order to cover rising costs for some improvement projects in the district, Oaklandside reported.

The reallocation leaves less funding for other projects planned under the $735 million bond. District officials said labor and materials costs escalated beyond what they had anticipated due to the pandemic, wars and supply-chain issues, according to Oaklandside.

Projects at McClymonds High School, Coliseum College Prep Academy and Roosevelt Middle School received extra funding through the board’s decision, according to Oaklandside. Oakland Unified will reduce the scope of improvements planned at Melrose Leadership Academy and use money intended for Measure Y’s district-wide initiatives and contingency funds in order to do that.

District 3 Director VanCedric Williams, who represents neighborhoods in West Oakland where McClymonds is located, told the board that he expects to introduce future measures to fund additional projects at McClymonds, since the increased Measure Y funding won’t solve all of the school’s needs.