Oakland orders school district to pay past election costs

"State education law requires school districts to pay for the costs of their elections, but OUSD officials responded to the invoices by arguing that the district was facing a deficit and was not in a place to cover the payments, leading the city to file suit in 2024."

"In a resolution approved last Tuesday, the city council directed the city attorney to charge OUSD $860,000 for the 2022 election. The city then requested that the Alameda County Registrar of Voters bill the district for the costs of the 2023 election."

"The legal dispute dates back to 2024, when Barbara Parker, in her then role as city attorney, filed a lawsuit against OUSD after the district refused to pay for the 2020, 2022, and 2023 school board elections. The city had historically invoiced OUSD for the costs of administering board elections but stopped sending invoices after 2008."

Oakland Unified School District has settled a lawsuit filed by the city regarding unpaid school board election costs. The dispute originated when the city discovered it had not invoiced OUSD for elections since 2008, then sent invoices in October 2023 seeking $1.5 million for 2020 and 2022 elections. OUSD refused payment, citing budget deficits, prompting the city to file suit in 2024. The lawsuit also included costs for a November 2023 special election. Under the settlement approved by city council, OUSD will pay $860,000 for the 2022 election, with the 2023 election costs to be billed by Alameda County. The 2020 election costs will be resolved through a formal settlement agreement.

Read at The Oaklandside