Calif. Audit Cites Litany of Troubles In Oakland Schools

By Catherine Gewertz

California auditors released a scathing assessment of the Oakland public schools last week, blasting one of the state's most beleaguered districts for mismanagement and poor student achievement and warning that it is hovering on the brink of serious financial difficulty.

"This is a district that is functioning in all areas at a very low level," Thomas E. Henry, who oversaw the study, said in an interview.

In its long-awaited, 600-page report, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team—the state's troubleshooters for failing districts—found the 53,000-student system "in need of immediate...