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.
Please do not approve the expansion of ERES due to the negative fiscal impact on district schools and students to whom you owe your fiduciary duty. Invest in district schools.
Dear Board Members,
I support the decision of the Charter Office to deny the request for a material revision for Aspire. The charter office did an extremely careful analysis of what allowing the material revision would mean for OUSD. Among other items, it found that if Aspire increased their enrollment, it would come at the expense of OUSD schools in East Oakland. This could result in fewer programs such as supporting newcomers or restorative justice. Clearly, this would not be to the benefit of the District, and indeed would hurt our most vulnerable students.
At a time when the district is considering closing schools due to declining enrollment, it seems beyond rational to allow a charter school to double in size.
Thank you for your attention.
ERES is a prime example of a high quality school that serves the Fruitvale students and families. They have shown to have a structural framework that works, and the only thing keeping them from helping more students is their inability to grow and be financially sustainable. ERES expansion is not meant or intended to hurt other surrounding schools, but rather enhance the educational experience of students for years to come. Families should have a say/choice to determine what is the best learning structure to fit their children's need regardless of whether charter or not. It is for parent to make that decision. I ask that you please approve the ERES material revision and continue supporting a high quality education.
We strongly urge the Oakland Unified School District and School Board to join us in building a safer, more collaborative community by investing in our existing public schools, and voting no to the expansion of Aspire ERES.
Since meeting the teachers and staff at ERES Academy last year, I have been blown away by the hard work, dedication, creativity, love, and high quality education that they have put into their students and the school community. ERES students deserve to continue receiving a stable, high quality education that collaborates with families and supports them with their needs, especially during a time like this.
I support the expansion of ERES. Families should have the right to choose which high quality school their children should attend. OUSD is not living up to their own name. It's Oakland UNIFIED School District, not Oakland Divided School District. Please keep the focus on the students and families that the communities should serve, which should be the goal for all educators and those in the adjacent fields. We have lost so many public school sites in Oakland this millennium. To lose another that is providing high quality services in the most difficult of times is unacceptable.
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. These schools provide important educational and community services and programs to our students and families. Urban Promise Academy has a unique special education program providing full-inclusion to students with mental health needs - the only program of its kind in the district. United for Success Academy provides a continuum of special education services including two Resource Specialists and two Special Day Classes. UFSA also offers students a variety of electives, including visual arts, computer science, and choir. Life Academy, UFSA, and UPA are community schools, with a health center on campus where students go for doctor and dentist visits, as well as eye exams and mental health counseling. Expanding Aspire ERES would threaten the existence of these highly needed services and programs.
Aspire ERES has served their community for many, many years engaging and building relationships with families. ERES staff has continuously supported families by meeting not only their educational needs but also by coming together in all ways for their community. Not allowing them to expand would be detrimental to all the families they serve and most importantly the students. As an aspire staff member I have experienced what we as a charter are able to provide and know that families feel safe knowing that they can come to us and be supported.
ERES is a high-quality public school option for families. Closing a high quality school option during a pandemic will have long-lasting devastating impacts in the lives of these families Why add another challenge? Approve the revision to allow ERES to keep its doors open and continue serving students in the Fruitvale community.
I support the expansion of ERES. ERES is a Public Charter School that has been providing high quality instruction to its students. The community deserves the right to choose the school that will serve their students best. ERES is a place where students feel loved, encouraged, supported, challenged, and seen. Please allow ERES to continue to thrive within the community.
I stand in support of Aspire ERES Academy and the community and scholars it serves. Aspire ERES has provided a high-quality school option for the Oakland community from the first day they opened their doors. The Oakland community deserve high-quality school options like ERES! Aspire ERES plays a vital role in serving our scholars and community!
As an Oakland teacher, I am opposed to the expansion of charter schools especially during COVID when public schools are struggling to maintain enough teacher support for our students. There should be an immediate moratorium on all charter school expansion until Oakland's public schools have both the infrastructure and the funding to move forward from the devastating COVID pandemic.
My name is Courtney DiBiase. I am a teacher at another Aspire school in Oakland. Reading about the struggles ERES has gone through is disturbing--ultimately OUSD has been failing the students of the ERES community, whose education they should be supporting. For years, the ERES facility has been cramped & poorly ventilated, among other challenges, & they serve mostly students of color (93% Hispanic, 2% African American, & 2% Asian-American). Every attempt they've made at improving their faculty conditions was denied. In the 2018-19 school year, ERES students made double digit growth in almost all subject areas, outperforming all schools in the Fruitvale neighborhood. Now you would close their school--without even considering the necessity of consistency, stability, AND community for its students in a pandemic. To make a decision that results in their school community being closed, is just cruel & a racist move. Allow ERES to continue providing a high quality education to their scholars.
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. This expansion would undoubtedly have negative long term consequences for the Fruitvale and Melrose communities, and the students, families, and educators of the 12 public schools in these neighborhoods: United for Success Academy, Urban Promise Academy, Life Academy, Bridges Academy at Melrose, International Community School, Think College Now, Global Family, Glenview Elementary School, Edna Brewer Middle School, Manzanita Community School, Manzanita SEED, and Fremont High School. We strongly urge the Oakland Unified School District and School Board to join us in building a safer, more collaborative community by investing in our existing public schools, and voting no to the expansion of Aspire ERES.
ERES has served families in the Fruitvale area for almost twelve years, after local families approached Aspire and asked us to replace a failing school in the community. ERES gives Fruitvale students a quality educational option, and Aspire is a good partner to the District. The Staff Report makes the District’s position clear that fewer students attending ERES is good for the District’s finances, but the District fails to consider that it is a bad result for the children of Oakland. It is not the responsibility of Fruitvale families to sacrifice their quality educational option in order to help improve the District’s poor financial health.
I support the expansion of ERES. Quality education shouldn't be up for debate. Aspire has a proven track record of providing high quality education to students in the highest needs areas. All while being extremely student, family, and community focused. Not allowing ERES to grow would be a disservice to current and future students and a disservice to the community.
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 neighborhood
I am a math teacher at Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory School here in Oakland. This is my first year teaching here, and I have received positive feedback from parents and students regarding their children's' experience at this charter school. I enjoy working here due to the fact that all of the parties involved collaborate on an ongoing basis. I have taught math for some time to know that students in Oakland need personalized attention and instruction. The experience and qualifications that I have lend support to these students, and if I had to do this all over again, I would choose a charter school over a regular public school. ERES needs to stay open and expand because OUSD cannot possibly accommodate all the students of Oakland.
I support ERES public charter school as a high quality choice for our Oakland community. Families need and deserve to have choice in their scholars' education. Please approve this revision to allow the community to thrive and expand, giving more public school students voice and choice in their education.
Please do not approve the expansion of ERES due to the negative fiscal impact on district schools and students to whom you owe your fiduciary duty. Invest in district schools.
Dear Board Members,
I support the decision of the Charter Office to deny the request for a material revision for Aspire. The charter office did an extremely careful analysis of what allowing the material revision would mean for OUSD. Among other items, it found that if Aspire increased their enrollment, it would come at the expense of OUSD schools in East Oakland. This could result in fewer programs such as supporting newcomers or restorative justice. Clearly, this would not be to the benefit of the District, and indeed would hurt our most vulnerable students.
At a time when the district is considering closing schools due to declining enrollment, it seems beyond rational to allow a charter school to double in size.
Thank you for your attention.
I am a Mexican Parent. I oppose expanding ERSE charter school. Our schools need more resources.
Dear OUSD Board,
ERES is a prime example of a high quality school that serves the Fruitvale students and families. They have shown to have a structural framework that works, and the only thing keeping them from helping more students is their inability to grow and be financially sustainable. ERES expansion is not meant or intended to hurt other surrounding schools, but rather enhance the educational experience of students for years to come. Families should have a say/choice to determine what is the best learning structure to fit their children's need regardless of whether charter or not. It is for parent to make that decision. I ask that you please approve the ERES material revision and continue supporting a high quality education.
We strongly urge the Oakland Unified School District and School Board to join us in building a safer, more collaborative community by investing in our existing public schools, and voting no to the expansion of Aspire ERES.
Since meeting the teachers and staff at ERES Academy last year, I have been blown away by the hard work, dedication, creativity, love, and high quality education that they have put into their students and the school community. ERES students deserve to continue receiving a stable, high quality education that collaborates with families and supports them with their needs, especially during a time like this.
I support the expansion of ERES. Families should have the right to choose which high quality school their children should attend. OUSD is not living up to their own name. It's Oakland UNIFIED School District, not Oakland Divided School District. Please keep the focus on the students and families that the communities should serve, which should be the goal for all educators and those in the adjacent fields. We have lost so many public school sites in Oakland this millennium. To lose another that is providing high quality services in the most difficult of times is unacceptable.
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. These schools provide important educational and community services and programs to our students and families. Urban Promise Academy has a unique special education program providing full-inclusion to students with mental health needs - the only program of its kind in the district. United for Success Academy provides a continuum of special education services including two Resource Specialists and two Special Day Classes. UFSA also offers students a variety of electives, including visual arts, computer science, and choir. Life Academy, UFSA, and UPA are community schools, with a health center on campus where students go for doctor and dentist visits, as well as eye exams and mental health counseling. Expanding Aspire ERES would threaten the existence of these highly needed services and programs.
Aspire ERES has served their community for many, many years engaging and building relationships with families. ERES staff has continuously supported families by meeting not only their educational needs but also by coming together in all ways for their community. Not allowing them to expand would be detrimental to all the families they serve and most importantly the students. As an aspire staff member I have experienced what we as a charter are able to provide and know that families feel safe knowing that they can come to us and be supported.
ERES is a high-quality public school option for families. Closing a high quality school option during a pandemic will have long-lasting devastating impacts in the lives of these families Why add another challenge? Approve the revision to allow ERES to keep its doors open and continue serving students in the Fruitvale community.
I support the expansion of ERES. ERES is a Public Charter School that has been providing high quality instruction to its students. The community deserves the right to choose the school that will serve their students best. ERES is a place where students feel loved, encouraged, supported, challenged, and seen. Please allow ERES to continue to thrive within the community.
I stand in support of Aspire ERES Academy and the community and scholars it serves. Aspire ERES has provided a high-quality school option for the Oakland community from the first day they opened their doors. The Oakland community deserve high-quality school options like ERES! Aspire ERES plays a vital role in serving our scholars and community!
As an Oakland teacher, I am opposed to the expansion of charter schools especially during COVID when public schools are struggling to maintain enough teacher support for our students. There should be an immediate moratorium on all charter school expansion until Oakland's public schools have both the infrastructure and the funding to move forward from the devastating COVID pandemic.
My name is Courtney DiBiase. I am a teacher at another Aspire school in Oakland. Reading about the struggles ERES has gone through is disturbing--ultimately OUSD has been failing the students of the ERES community, whose education they should be supporting. For years, the ERES facility has been cramped & poorly ventilated, among other challenges, & they serve mostly students of color (93% Hispanic, 2% African American, & 2% Asian-American). Every attempt they've made at improving their faculty conditions was denied. In the 2018-19 school year, ERES students made double digit growth in almost all subject areas, outperforming all schools in the Fruitvale neighborhood. Now you would close their school--without even considering the necessity of consistency, stability, AND community for its students in a pandemic. To make a decision that results in their school community being closed, is just cruel & a racist move. Allow ERES to continue providing a high quality education to their scholars.
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. This expansion would undoubtedly have negative long term consequences for the Fruitvale and Melrose communities, and the students, families, and educators of the 12 public schools in these neighborhoods: United for Success Academy, Urban Promise Academy, Life Academy, Bridges Academy at Melrose, International Community School, Think College Now, Global Family, Glenview Elementary School, Edna Brewer Middle School, Manzanita Community School, Manzanita SEED, and Fremont High School. We strongly urge the Oakland Unified School District and School Board to join us in building a safer, more collaborative community by investing in our existing public schools, and voting no to the expansion of Aspire ERES.
ERES has served families in the Fruitvale area for almost twelve years, after local families approached Aspire and asked us to replace a failing school in the community. ERES gives Fruitvale students a quality educational option, and Aspire is a good partner to the District. The Staff Report makes the District’s position clear that fewer students attending ERES is good for the District’s finances, but the District fails to consider that it is a bad result for the children of Oakland. It is not the responsibility of Fruitvale families to sacrifice their quality educational option in order to help improve the District’s poor financial health.
I support the expansion of ERES. Quality education shouldn't be up for debate. Aspire has a proven track record of providing high quality education to students in the highest needs areas. All while being extremely student, family, and community focused. Not allowing ERES to grow would be a disservice to current and future students and a disservice to the community.
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 neighborhood
I am a math teacher at Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory School here in Oakland. This is my first year teaching here, and I have received positive feedback from parents and students regarding their children's' experience at this charter school. I enjoy working here due to the fact that all of the parties involved collaborate on an ongoing basis. I have taught math for some time to know that students in Oakland need personalized attention and instruction. The experience and qualifications that I have lend support to these students, and if I had to do this all over again, I would choose a charter school over a regular public school. ERES needs to stay open and expand because OUSD cannot possibly accommodate all the students of Oakland.
I support ERES public charter school as a high quality choice for our Oakland community. Families need and deserve to have choice in their scholars' education. Please approve this revision to allow the community to thrive and expand, giving more public school students voice and choice in their education.