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Agenda Item
S.-3 19-2227 Approval by the Board of Education of Oakland School for the Arts - Petition and Proposed Charter - Grades 6-12 - July 1, 2020-June 30, 2025 (Renewal).
Oakland School for the Arts not only provides an important service unequaled anywhere in the OUSD for focused students to excel in their arts, but is also an invaluable networking and growth opportunity for the international arts community, and Oakland's place on that map. OSA teachers remark that the students are unusually focused, which you might say is because they've often found their callings, but I also think would be true if ALL students had 2-3 hours of Arts Education daily, which OSA provides. Currently they are the only local school outlet that fosters the kind of creativity necessary for all communities to thrive.
OSA has provided my son with an outstanding middle school education, which he is motivated to excel at through his art emphasis. He is looking forward to attending high school at OSA in the fall of 2020 and I cannot imagine the devastation he would suffer if he were unable to attend due to OSA's charter not being renewed. This school is a feather in the cap of Oakland and a huge asset within our community. The school is a proven success, has high college placement in four year schools, and a near perfect percentage for high school graduation. Please renew the charter for this amazingly high performing school.
I strongly support the renewal of the charter for OSA. This magnificent school provides a wonderful arts and academic education to those “different” kids who cannot find a home for their artistic expression elsewhere in our community. We must not lose this precious resource. Please vote to renew.
This is an excellent school that enhances the students ability to perform their art to their highest potential and also the academics and I am so glad that my son is here. Please renew the charter so our students can help in creating a better tomorrow!!
This school is doing great things. They accept kids with all kinds of creative quirks and allow them to flourish in their arts- at a time when these super creative kids are at a disadvantage anywhere else because cuts have unfortunately decimated the arts in the majority of schools. My children attended OUSD for all of elementary. They worked very hard to dedicate themselves to an art to join this school. There was no formal training, no expensive classes, just their own determination and tenacity. It is possible for kids to become a student here from any walk of life. The middle/high schools in their own neighborhood in East Oakland were never an option. Closing this school will force a lot of us to leave Oakland to continue to provide our children with the support their need for their education and their creativity. The options program does not work at this grade level. This is home for all of them, and they will be unable to find that in any other school. Please renew our charter.
OSA provides a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity for young artists who want to pursue their discipline while receiving strong academic education, as well. My 9th grade daughter has attended since Middle School, and I have seen her blossom both as an artist and as a member of an open, accepting school community. Her teachers have given her extensive personalized assistance, which increases her passion for learning. This school is an irreplaceable asset for the Oakland community and beyond. We are confident that OSA will continue to attract the young artists who need the nurturing and structure that OSA provides. Please renew our charter!
I support a renewal of Oakland School for the Arts charter by OUSD. Our son was (and is) interested in playing music, listening to music, learning music. OSA was a clear choice for him. We toured two local public high schools and while they were both academically and geographically desirable, a BIG problem remained - OUSD high schools required students to pick an academy or emphasis of study. Oakland Tech did not offer ANY program of interest and Skyline had a music track but the music teacher left just before school started. Thank goodness there's a school like OSA where young artists can learn and work together across the disciplines.
My daughter has enjoyed open school for the arts since the six grade. We find it to be stimulating and necessary for our community. Please support OSA’s ongoing efforts. Thank you.
My son entered 6th grade this fall.
Before that he went to Joaquin Miller Elementary.
It was very stressful to find a school that was within the Oakland public/charter that
1. He could actually enter (since public schools like Edna brewer where he was #357 on the waitlist) are highly impacted
2. Has high academic standards
3. Provides diversity and accessibility to many kids.
Our neighberhood school is rated 3 on Great Schools, and the academic performance is very poor.
Since our son showed some interest in the visual arts we encouraged him to put together a body of work so he can apply to OSA.
Honesty our son's has many passions and the arts are one of them. He is not a protege, and for him to put together a body of work required very little: a few instruction books, art materials and encouragement.
I encourage OUSD to consider auditions as part of the vetting mechanism to accept kids into the program.
I strongly encourage OUSD to renew OSA's charter. OSA has provided a very solid core academic foundation for my daughter in addition to the outstanding arts instruction unique to the school. At OSA my ADHD daughter has thrived and feels that the faculty and staff are partners with her to achieve her potential. Being at OSA she has benefited from the racial, socioeconomic and cultural diversity of the student population. She has also felt safe to be herself at OSA when speaks to the inclusive environment.
I am writing in tremendous support of OSA as an excellent institution for the entire Bay Area educational community, especially the East Bay and Oakland. I wish for it’s continued success and invite the entire board to join us at this years HEART OF OAKLAND later this spring.
I strongly encourage OUSD to renew OSA's charter. OSA has not only provided excellent artistic instruction but has proven to have high academic achievement like no other school in the district. At OSA my latinx child with special needs has thrived like she never thrived before. She feels a sense of community, she feels supported by all her teachers and peers. She no longer feel isolated and judged.
Please renew charter a let us prove once again that art and high academic achieve is possible regardless of socioeconomic status, skin color and zip code.
Oakland School for the Arts not only provides an important service unequaled anywhere in the OUSD for focused students to excel in their arts, but is also an invaluable networking and growth opportunity for the international arts community, and Oakland's place on that map. OSA teachers remark that the students are unusually focused, which you might say is because they've often found their callings, but I also think would be true if ALL students had 2-3 hours of Arts Education daily, which OSA provides. Currently they are the only local school outlet that fosters the kind of creativity necessary for all communities to thrive.
OSA has provided my son with an outstanding middle school education, which he is motivated to excel at through his art emphasis. He is looking forward to attending high school at OSA in the fall of 2020 and I cannot imagine the devastation he would suffer if he were unable to attend due to OSA's charter not being renewed. This school is a feather in the cap of Oakland and a huge asset within our community. The school is a proven success, has high college placement in four year schools, and a near perfect percentage for high school graduation. Please renew the charter for this amazingly high performing school.
I strongly support the renewal of the charter for OSA. This magnificent school provides a wonderful arts and academic education to those “different” kids who cannot find a home for their artistic expression elsewhere in our community. We must not lose this precious resource. Please vote to renew.
This is an excellent school that enhances the students ability to perform their art to their highest potential and also the academics and I am so glad that my son is here. Please renew the charter so our students can help in creating a better tomorrow!!
This school is doing great things. They accept kids with all kinds of creative quirks and allow them to flourish in their arts- at a time when these super creative kids are at a disadvantage anywhere else because cuts have unfortunately decimated the arts in the majority of schools. My children attended OUSD for all of elementary. They worked very hard to dedicate themselves to an art to join this school. There was no formal training, no expensive classes, just their own determination and tenacity. It is possible for kids to become a student here from any walk of life. The middle/high schools in their own neighborhood in East Oakland were never an option. Closing this school will force a lot of us to leave Oakland to continue to provide our children with the support their need for their education and their creativity. The options program does not work at this grade level. This is home for all of them, and they will be unable to find that in any other school. Please renew our charter.
OSA provides a one-of-a-kind educational opportunity for young artists who want to pursue their discipline while receiving strong academic education, as well. My 9th grade daughter has attended since Middle School, and I have seen her blossom both as an artist and as a member of an open, accepting school community. Her teachers have given her extensive personalized assistance, which increases her passion for learning. This school is an irreplaceable asset for the Oakland community and beyond. We are confident that OSA will continue to attract the young artists who need the nurturing and structure that OSA provides. Please renew our charter!
I support a renewal of Oakland School for the Arts charter by OUSD. Our son was (and is) interested in playing music, listening to music, learning music. OSA was a clear choice for him. We toured two local public high schools and while they were both academically and geographically desirable, a BIG problem remained - OUSD high schools required students to pick an academy or emphasis of study. Oakland Tech did not offer ANY program of interest and Skyline had a music track but the music teacher left just before school started. Thank goodness there's a school like OSA where young artists can learn and work together across the disciplines.
My daughter has enjoyed open school for the arts since the six grade. We find it to be stimulating and necessary for our community. Please support OSA’s ongoing efforts. Thank you.
My son entered 6th grade this fall.
Before that he went to Joaquin Miller Elementary.
It was very stressful to find a school that was within the Oakland public/charter that
1. He could actually enter (since public schools like Edna brewer where he was #357 on the waitlist) are highly impacted
2. Has high academic standards
3. Provides diversity and accessibility to many kids.
Our neighberhood school is rated 3 on Great Schools, and the academic performance is very poor.
Since our son showed some interest in the visual arts we encouraged him to put together a body of work so he can apply to OSA.
Honesty our son's has many passions and the arts are one of them. He is not a protege, and for him to put together a body of work required very little: a few instruction books, art materials and encouragement.
I encourage OUSD to consider auditions as part of the vetting mechanism to accept kids into the program.
Please keep OSA oakarts.org as is! Thanks
I strongly encourage OUSD to renew OSA's charter. OSA has provided a very solid core academic foundation for my daughter in addition to the outstanding arts instruction unique to the school. At OSA my ADHD daughter has thrived and feels that the faculty and staff are partners with her to achieve her potential. Being at OSA she has benefited from the racial, socioeconomic and cultural diversity of the student population. She has also felt safe to be herself at OSA when speaks to the inclusive environment.
I am writing in tremendous support of OSA as an excellent institution for the entire Bay Area educational community, especially the East Bay and Oakland. I wish for it’s continued success and invite the entire board to join us at this years HEART OF OAKLAND later this spring.
I strongly encourage OUSD to renew OSA's charter. OSA has not only provided excellent artistic instruction but has proven to have high academic achievement like no other school in the district. At OSA my latinx child with special needs has thrived like she never thrived before. She feels a sense of community, she feels supported by all her teachers and peers. She no longer feel isolated and judged.
Please renew charter a let us prove once again that art and high academic achieve is possible regardless of socioeconomic status, skin color and zip code.