I oppose the elimination of the District Library Manager position, which is a vital role for the effective running of our school library services. Please stand with the Measure G suggestions to increase, or at the very least NOT DECREASE the support for our sites and our students. I stand with Black Organizing Project, and want to see the OUSD Police eliminated to put an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, and to combat reductions to preserve student programs. It can be done this year. Thank you.
I encourage you to reallocate Measure G funds from the General Fund and use them as the voters intended for libraries, art and music. The Measure G Committee determined in 2018 that the bulk of the taxpayer Measure G funds go to General Education. If you used the funds as intended by voters, OUSD could retain the vital District Library Manager position AND allocate Measure G funds to ALL schools that do not receive full PTO/PTA funding for their libraries. Why are schools with LCFF's at 50-85% not receiving Measure G funds for their libraries? I voted for Measure G as did most of my friends and neighbors. Voters in Oakland are getting weary of voting to help our school district when the district does not honor our intent.
Eliminating the District Library Manager position would be akin to cutting of the circulation to the hearts of OUSD schools. This position is not redundant or extraneous, it is a vital singular position that hires, trains, and supports all library staff. Without it you will be further dismantling OUSD libraries against the will of our students, our teachers, our principals and Oakland voters. Budget cuts are never easy, but this is not an acceptable cut. Stop funding our school police which create a school-to-prison pipeline, stop paying rent on 1000 Broadway and move into one of our "surplus" properties, consider the real need for multiple network superintendents... but do not cut this position. When you know better, you should do better. Now you know better. Please do better.
As a parent of a child at MLA and former OUSD teacher librarian, I would like to express my objection to the elimination of the District Library Manager position. I would like to trust the OUSD is committed to developing the WHOLE CHILD and libraries are an essential part of doing just that. Eliminating that position would make the few librarians that exist in the district feel less supported, most isolated, and likely to leave the district. Please find a way to find the funds to keep this essential position, whether it be through the needed elimination of the Oakland School Police or through a reevaluation of the allocation of Measure G funds. I hope you will make the right decision.
I am writing to express my concern about the elimination of the District Librarian position. This position is critical in allowing libraries to flourish - it allows for libraries to be staffed by quality, professional staff; to lead professional developments for that staff; to develop a district-wide program for author visits and connections to publishers, etc. As an OUSD parent and Oakland taxpayer I am very concerned about the lack of transparency in Measure G spending. These funds are meant to support programs such as libraries - if this position is removed, where will the money saved be spent? It seems to be an enormous step towards dismantling school libraries, which truly is a resource that all of our students deserve.
Clarification is needed: in previous presentations, Interim CFO Cazares, stated in writing that the current state budget proposal contains $1.1 million annually in additional/new Special Education Funding. At the same time, Ms. Cazares has stated verbally that this amount was not gong to be counted along with the package of budget solutions because it was in the proposal stage. At this point, with all the reductions so clearly stated, has the $1.1 million been included or not? This is information is extremely iimportant to the CAC (Special Education Community Advisory Committee), and I request a response tonight.
I oppose the cuts to central academic management positions. The District Library Manager's role is paramount to all library services, for the purpose of hiring professional library staff, paying our software bills on time, upholding state and federal compliance, and delivering invaluable resources out to sites that directly impact student achievement and opportunity. The District explicitly said they will not be making cuts in library services. This position comes from Measure G money, passed by the voters. Avoid litigation and payouts in the millions because of compliance issues and audit findings, and do not cut the District Library Manager position. Instead, I stand with Black Organizing Project, and want to see the OUSD Police eliminated to put an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, and to combat reductions to preserve student programs. It can be done this year.
I am opposed to eliminating the position of District Library Manager, and instead support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to eliminate the OUSD Police program. The Library Manager has played a vital role in rejuvenating our school library programs. Many once closed libraries have been reopened with professional staff, our libraries are much closer to meeting State Standards, and the manager's contacts with publishers and authors has made it possible for our libraries to add new books and resources at much more reasonable cost to the district.
I am unable to attend tonight's meeting, but will re-iterate my request that you do not eliminate the District Library Manager position, and that you do eliminate the OUSD police department. Regarding libraries, the District Library Manager is the one position that helps unify the OUSD school libraries and provides necessary training, support, and professional development and resources so that all of our schools and students have quality libraries. The district will lose much more money than it will save as schools struggle to keep libraries open without consistent staffing and central support. Thank you.
I am a PTO paid library clerk at Redwood Heights Elementary School. I just started in September 2018. I had no experience. Without a central district library position I would have been lost. Thanks to her thoughtful training and professional development days I improved my collection and developed a program that my students love. I could go on and on here.
Without the help of the District Librarian it would have been much harder to accomplish so much. It is the only support my school site gets for our library from the district. Cutting the position would leave us all alone at our sites, no assistance to weave the many disparate and unequal OUSD libraries into one program. Did you know: we all share a virtual card catalogue?
She shouldn’t be cut at all. She should get a raise, an assistant and a full cohort of teacher librarians at all the school sites. We shouldn’t have to spend months every school year fighting for funding when we should be with our students reading and learning!
I oppose the elimination of the District Library Manager position, which is a vital role for the effective running of our school library services. Please stand with the Measure G suggestions to increase, or at the very least NOT DECREASE the support for our sites and our students. I stand with Black Organizing Project, and want to see the OUSD Police eliminated to put an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, and to combat reductions to preserve student programs. It can be done this year. Thank you.
I encourage you to reallocate Measure G funds from the General Fund and use them as the voters intended for libraries, art and music. The Measure G Committee determined in 2018 that the bulk of the taxpayer Measure G funds go to General Education. If you used the funds as intended by voters, OUSD could retain the vital District Library Manager position AND allocate Measure G funds to ALL schools that do not receive full PTO/PTA funding for their libraries. Why are schools with LCFF's at 50-85% not receiving Measure G funds for their libraries? I voted for Measure G as did most of my friends and neighbors. Voters in Oakland are getting weary of voting to help our school district when the district does not honor our intent.
Eliminating the District Library Manager position would be akin to cutting of the circulation to the hearts of OUSD schools. This position is not redundant or extraneous, it is a vital singular position that hires, trains, and supports all library staff. Without it you will be further dismantling OUSD libraries against the will of our students, our teachers, our principals and Oakland voters. Budget cuts are never easy, but this is not an acceptable cut. Stop funding our school police which create a school-to-prison pipeline, stop paying rent on 1000 Broadway and move into one of our "surplus" properties, consider the real need for multiple network superintendents... but do not cut this position. When you know better, you should do better. Now you know better. Please do better.
As a parent of a child at MLA and former OUSD teacher librarian, I would like to express my objection to the elimination of the District Library Manager position. I would like to trust the OUSD is committed to developing the WHOLE CHILD and libraries are an essential part of doing just that. Eliminating that position would make the few librarians that exist in the district feel less supported, most isolated, and likely to leave the district. Please find a way to find the funds to keep this essential position, whether it be through the needed elimination of the Oakland School Police or through a reevaluation of the allocation of Measure G funds. I hope you will make the right decision.
I am writing to express my concern about the elimination of the District Librarian position. This position is critical in allowing libraries to flourish - it allows for libraries to be staffed by quality, professional staff; to lead professional developments for that staff; to develop a district-wide program for author visits and connections to publishers, etc. As an OUSD parent and Oakland taxpayer I am very concerned about the lack of transparency in Measure G spending. These funds are meant to support programs such as libraries - if this position is removed, where will the money saved be spent? It seems to be an enormous step towards dismantling school libraries, which truly is a resource that all of our students deserve.
Clarification is needed: in previous presentations, Interim CFO Cazares, stated in writing that the current state budget proposal contains $1.1 million annually in additional/new Special Education Funding. At the same time, Ms. Cazares has stated verbally that this amount was not gong to be counted along with the package of budget solutions because it was in the proposal stage. At this point, with all the reductions so clearly stated, has the $1.1 million been included or not? This is information is extremely iimportant to the CAC (Special Education Community Advisory Committee), and I request a response tonight.
I oppose the cuts to central academic management positions. The District Library Manager's role is paramount to all library services, for the purpose of hiring professional library staff, paying our software bills on time, upholding state and federal compliance, and delivering invaluable resources out to sites that directly impact student achievement and opportunity. The District explicitly said they will not be making cuts in library services. This position comes from Measure G money, passed by the voters. Avoid litigation and payouts in the millions because of compliance issues and audit findings, and do not cut the District Library Manager position. Instead, I stand with Black Organizing Project, and want to see the OUSD Police eliminated to put an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, and to combat reductions to preserve student programs. It can be done this year.
I am opposed to eliminating the position of District Library Manager, and instead support the Black Organizing Project's proposal to eliminate the OUSD Police program. The Library Manager has played a vital role in rejuvenating our school library programs. Many once closed libraries have been reopened with professional staff, our libraries are much closer to meeting State Standards, and the manager's contacts with publishers and authors has made it possible for our libraries to add new books and resources at much more reasonable cost to the district.
I am unable to attend tonight's meeting, but will re-iterate my request that you do not eliminate the District Library Manager position, and that you do eliminate the OUSD police department. Regarding libraries, the District Library Manager is the one position that helps unify the OUSD school libraries and provides necessary training, support, and professional development and resources so that all of our schools and students have quality libraries. The district will lose much more money than it will save as schools struggle to keep libraries open without consistent staffing and central support. Thank you.
I am a PTO paid library clerk at Redwood Heights Elementary School. I just started in September 2018. I had no experience. Without a central district library position I would have been lost. Thanks to her thoughtful training and professional development days I improved my collection and developed a program that my students love. I could go on and on here.
Without the help of the District Librarian it would have been much harder to accomplish so much. It is the only support my school site gets for our library from the district. Cutting the position would leave us all alone at our sites, no assistance to weave the many disparate and unequal OUSD libraries into one program. Did you know: we all share a virtual card catalogue?
She shouldn’t be cut at all. She should get a raise, an assistant and a full cohort of teacher librarians at all the school sites. We shouldn’t have to spend months every school year fighting for funding when we should be with our students reading and learning!