Former Oak Run Superintendent Sues Over Firing, Blames District’s Fiscal Collapse

Misti Livingston, the ousted superintendent of Oak Run Elementary School District, filed a lawsuit claiming her 2025 termination was unlawful and retaliatory amid the district’s financial crisis, asserting the problems stem from systemic issues and lack of support from the county education office.

In a filing with Shasta County Superior Court, former superintendent Misti Livingston alleges her dismissal in January 2025 was unlawful and motivated by retaliation for whistleblowing. Livingston oversaw Oak Run Elementary School District, a small K-8 district in the forested foothills east of Redding, for almost five years, during which the district received an $825,000 penalty after overstating Average Daily Attendance for the 2021-2023 school years.

The penalty, larger than the district’s $775,000 budget, triggered a fiscal-health warning from the Shasta County Office of Education (SCOE) in December 2023 and a state-led risk analysis in June 2024. County officials and the district board accused Livingston of submitting invalid attendance certifications and allowing mismanagement, but she argues SCOE deprived the district of necessary administrative support, training, and financial oversight, leaving her to handle complex state accounting alone.

Earlier allegations of check fraud and theft were dismissed after a sheriff’s investigation and a CTC review found no wrongdoing. Despite a positive performance evaluation and a contract extension through June 2027, Livingston was placed on leave in December 2024 and fired “without cause” the following month. Her lawsuit claims the termination was a pretext to silence her complaints filed with the EEOC, California Civil Rights Department, state education officials, and the media.