OUSD board member may have broken law by exposing alleged attempt to remove superintendent

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- At Wednesday night's Oakland Unified School Board meeting, speakers raised concerns that Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell's contract was going to be terminated.

"We ask that you stand with our children. You stand with the superintendent. And you stand by your community that you serve," said Dela Morris, who is the education chair of the NAACP Oakland Branch.

An agenda item was listed for closed session: "Public Employment/Discipline/Dismissal/Release." But when the board returned, there was no action taken.

Anser Hassan: "My question is, is her current contract still in place?
Jennifer Brouhard: "Yes, her current contract is in place. There has been no official change of her current contract."

MORE: Oakland Unified votes to issue layoffs, eliminate up to 100 full-time positions

Jennifer Brouhard is president of the Board of the Oakland Unified School District. She says if there was a vote, they have to announce it after closed session. Brouhard is adamant that there was no vote and, therefore no action to report.

"It is a personal matter. And when there is an actual vote taken on the matter, then that matter must be reported out in closed session," Brouhard said.

But OUSD board member and most recent former board president, Mike Hutchinson, was in the closed-door session. He says that's not what happened.

"There was action taken. And unfortunately, four directors-- a majority of the board -- last night voted to start an immediate search for a new superintendent to begin July 1. And to begin negotiations for a payout for our current superintendent's contract, effectively forcing her out at the end of June," Hutchinson said.

Johnson-Trammell's current contract goes through 2027. In it, she is already set to transition out of the day-to-day responsibilities beginning next school year.

MORE: Last public meeting held before Oakland Unified votes on budget that could close several schools

Hutchinson admits that discussing this publicly may be a violation of the Brown Act, which is a misdemeanor. But he says he is putting the community first.

"This is a huge crisis now in OUSD. Everyone needs to know what's happening," Hutchinson said. "Most importantly, it is going to totally destabilize our district and really jeopardize all of the progress that we have made."

Still, Brouhard says the contract is in place. When asked if there was discussion around the superintendent's contract, after a long pause, she responded: "I really can't talk about that. I think there is always discussion around the superintendent and the board's relationship... anytime, we could be in the middle of discussing anything. And you follow through on that discussion."

Hutchinson is encouraging parents to attend the next board meeting in two weeks.