State Returns Some Control to School Board

Oakland schools will regain some local control 2 1/2 years after the state stripped the board of power following near-bankruptcy, state officials said.

The Oakland school board will be allowed to manage relationships with reporters and help operate school advisory councils but will have no say in academics, finances or campus operations, state Supt. Jack O'Connell said Tuesday.

Although the decision doesn't mean the end of state control, some say it is a step toward the board's eventual return to power.