Meeting Time: February 24, 2021 at 4:00pm PST
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Agenda Item

R.-1 21-0013 Decision Hearing by the Board of Education - Adopting Resolution No. 2021-0042 - Denial of Material Revision to the Current Aspire ERES Academy Petition (Request to Raise Enrollment Cap from 250 to 600, for Grades TK-8 - July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2024), pursuant to Education Code Section 47605.

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    Visney C over 3 years ago

    As parent and grandparent I Support ERES, because is an incredible school, that help and indivualize children, knowing them by name. Help/Support and guide parents to continue advocating for their children education, mental health, overall CHILDREN WELL BEING

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    Shira Bannerman over 3 years ago

    Increasing enrollment at Aspire ERES would mean decreasing enrollment in our neighborhood community schools. A drop in enrollment means a reduction in funding, which would threaten the livelihood of our schools and the existence of the special programs our schools offer our students and families. Shifting resources away from our current schools and allowing a charter to literally expand into our classrooms creates further obstacles to providing safe and equitable schooling during COVID.

    We have built up a strong school community at UPA over 2 decades. An additional school in the area would take resources and funding away from our students and the programs we have built. Please support our existing programs instead of a privately-managed school that takes public money. The impact of the charter school would hurt us.

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    Mary AbdulWajid over 3 years ago

    As a proud parent of 2 Aspire students and a teacher for Aspire I support ERES and it's expansion. Parents need choices for their children when it comes to schools. ERES has been an important part of the community in providing quality education that is equitable and encourages all students to be their best. The community it serves has asked that you keep the doors at ERES open and so do I. Please approve the revision of ERES so that our families and their children can continue to thrive and grow both academically and emotionally to be our future leaders!

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    Hilaria Barajas over 3 years ago

    Please VOTE YES on the Reparations for Black Students Resolution - to repair the harm caused by decades of disinvestment - and to reinvest in Black students, families, schools, and staff in OUSD.

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    Shannon Darcey over 3 years ago

    I am a teacher at Urban Promise Academy and I oppose the expansion of the Aspire ERES Charter school. Our neighborhood schools have been working tirelessly to serve our Fruitvale community and the expansion of this charter would pull more resources from our already underfunded schools. The district needs to focus on supporting and uplifting its current schools and stop the privatization of our school system.

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    Chenny Ng over 3 years ago

    PLEASE support ERES in its material revision! Bottom line -- this is an incredible school and a critical resource for families, especially now. You will be forcing a high quality school to close if this revision is not approved. That would be a devastating outcome for Fruitvale kids and families who it is your duty to serve as a Board. ERES serves 92% low income students and 97% students of color. In the current climate of pandemic and uncertainty, these students and families really need the stability, community, and support of their school. Stop creating unnecessary division and support high-quality schools that serve all Oakland students -- regardless of whether they are charter or public.

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    Erika Guerrero over 3 years ago

    We, the families and educators of District 5, are calling on our School Board and School District to reject the expansion of Aspire ERES Charter School by 350 students. This expansion would undoubtedly have negative long term consequences for the Fruitvale and Melrose communities, and the students, families, and educators of the 12 schools in these neighborhoods

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    Michael Shane over 3 years ago

    It's time to put an end to the charter school movement in general, voting no to the expansion of ERES sends a clear message to Charter School Industry that the Oakland School Board is no longer willing to be "lapdogs" for what is a thinly veiled attempt to privatize public school campuses and classrooms. All current charters should be denied future charters and brought back into the OUSD and its democratically elected school board. Aspire "Public Schools" receive large amounts of money from the private sector including the Walton Foundation. That money should go to paying Wal-Mart employees a living wage and the Wal-mart Corp. paying their fair share of taxes -- in order for all public schools to build up resources to provide a quality education for all Oakland students and families, and not just those who win the "lottery" . I urge Oakland School Board directors to vote no on the expansion of ERES. Thank you for your time!

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    jennifer green over 3 years ago

    Dear OUSD Board,
    Aspire ERES Academy is a prime example of a high quality school in Oakland. The school has served their community for many years - where students, families, and staff thrive. An opposition to this material revision is unjust in nature, as it puts students and families in a place where they are not able to have their choice in a high quality school. Families and students deserve choice in Oakland - and Aspire ERES is a very high-quality school for the community in which it serves. Closing this incredible school, during a pandemic and a time when choice is becoming limited, will have long-lasting impacts on students, families, and the dedicated, loving group of adults serving there. I urge you to approve the revision to allow ERES to keep its doors open and continue serving students in the Fruitvale community.

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    Molly Lin over 3 years ago

    We, the families and educators of District 5, are calling on our School Board and School District to reject the expansion of Aspire ERES Charter School by 350 students. This expansion would undoubtedly have negative long term consequences for the Fruitvale and Melrose communities, and the students, families, and educators of the 12 schools in these neighborhoods

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    Kristina Felibrico over 3 years ago

    We are a year into a global pandemic, and while vaccines provide promise, our community continues to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and school closures. We want nothing more than for schools to reopen safely. In order to do so, we need adequate space for social distancing, Personal Protective Equipment, facility upgrades for proper ventilation, and the technology to continue distance learning. Shifting resources away from our current schools and allowing a charter to literally expand into our classrooms creates further obstacles to providing safe and equitable schooling during COVID. During a time of uncertainty and when physical safety and technology are priorities now more than ever, we need to invest in our current schools.

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    Paul Gomez over 3 years ago

    The schools that would be the most impacted by the Aspire ERES Charter expansion are the middle schools United For Success Academy, Urban Promise Academy, and Life Academy.

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    Adrian Romero over 3 years ago

    Increasing enrollment at Aspire ERES would mean decreasing enrollment in our neighborhood community schools. A drop in enrollment means a reduction in funding, which would threaten the livelihood of our schools and the existence of the special programs our schools offer our students and families. This includes supports for newcomer students, social emotional programming, and reading and math intervention. This reduction in funding may ultimately lead to school closures, as well.

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    Nicolas Parker over 3 years ago

    Stop destabilizing our community by constantly opening and expanding new schools, then saying there's not enough enrollment and closing our schools. Invest in public schools that already exist, instead of raiding their students!

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    Alejandra Villegas over 3 years ago

    I support the expansion of ERES. ERES has supported and has build relationships with their community. Please Allow Eres to keep providing high quality education to their students. Families should have the right to choose their children's education.

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    Kat Maslova over 3 years ago

    Families need choices. Students are not being taken away from their local home school, students are moving because cost of living is too costly, because resources and money allocated to schools are not equitable, and due to an overall lack of ownership by the very people on the school board and in home office. ERES is a tight knit community of scholars, families, and teachers who have worked tirelessly to create a school that is student focused, out performing schools nearby. A denial would have long term effects for not only the community but for each student who attends ERES.

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    Frankey Johnson over 3 years ago

    As a teacher at International Community School and someone who grew up in Fruitvale, I oppose Aspire expanding their enrollment. We have been denied a 12th teacher for our program and the reason cited was the impact that it would have on the surrounding schools. I don't see how we can be denied a 12th teacher for our dual immersion program (making combo classes impossible). An expansion of enrollment by Aspire Eres will not only impact ICS, but will also impact TCN, and UPA. The district cannot speak out of one side of their mouth saying that we don't qualify for a 12th teacher because of the impact on surrounding schools and then allow Aspire Eres to expand enrollment.

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    Cristina Ramos over 3 years ago

    I am a teacher at International Community School and I reject the expansion to ERES expansion. This would undoubtedly have negative long term consequences for the Fruitvale and Melrose communities, and the students, families, and educators of the 12 schools in these neighborhoods.

    Increasing enrollment at Aspire ERES would mean decreasing enrollment in our neighborhood community schools. A drop in enrollment means a reduction in funding, which would threaten the livelihood of our schools and the existence of the special programs our schools offer our students and families. This includes supports for newcomer students, social emotional programming, and reading and math intervention. This reduction in funding may ultimately lead to school closures, as well.

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    Diosa Diaz over 3 years ago

    I work at ICS and this is already directly effecting us with our budget and enrollment projections for next year. Enrollment department appears to favor charter school enrollment. I have a few guesses of why this is.
    DO NOT saturate the flatland schools with charters. We need a moratorium NOW. OR send it somewhere else. You are destroying the stability of successful public schools with this decision.

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    Nicol LaCava over 3 years ago

    I oppose the expansion of ERES due to the negative impact to the current schools in the area. There are enough schools in the area and pulling students from those schools will reduce their $ which will negatively impact OUSD students.