http://labornotes.org/2010/05/oakland-teachers-walk-out-forcing-district-back-table
Though local control was nominally returned to the Oakland school board last year after the state's six-year takeover, teachers know who's still calling the shots. State officials retain veto power over all district financial decisions, and the local media reports that state officials instructed local officials to impose terms on the OEA. "The Board has to stand up for quality public education, not act like enforcers for the state," said Bustamante, a leader of the Association of Raza Educators.
Oakland schools endured the takeover, aimed ostensibly at getting the district's finances in order. But under the state's watch school debt tripled, from $37 million in 2003 to $110 million in 2009. Oakland schools became a laboratory for downsizing, outsourcing, and privatization.