.Report: Give Oakland Back Its Schools

According to the Oakland Tribune, a “team of state evaluators” has given the Oakland school district such high marks that it’s recommending that the state return local control for the first time since 2003. That, you may recall, was the year that the state of California saved the district from a budget deficit that threatened to exceed $76 million, essentially dooming public education throughout the city. In return for the bailout, the local school board had to cede control of the schools to a state-appointed administrator, who would only give it back if the district paid off the debt or demonstrated it could act responsibly. This report is the closest the district has yet come to earning autonomy, although state superintendent of schools Jack O’Connell doesn’t have to act on the report’s recommendations.