Meeting Time: March 24, 2021 at 4:00pm PDT
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Agenda Item

M.-1 21-0194 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2021-0037 - Reparations for Black Students (Revised).

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    Nathaniel Landry over 3 years ago

    As an OUSD parent I urge the Board to adopt the Reparations for Black Students Resolution without amendment. 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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    theresa enedah over 3 years ago

    Please vote yes for reparation so that experienced and credentialed teachers can be sent to predominantly black schools. Extra funding for those schools can make this possible.

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    OUSD Parent over 3 years ago

    I only ask the Board to pass the Reparation Act IF it indeed is what is needed to help Black students. If it is a trojan horse for the anti-charter crowd or any other agenda item then vote no or work to amend. Being threatened to be labeled racist if you oppose is a tactic that is being used and anyone paying attention knows that. Do the right thing - whatever that may be.

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    Misha Kiyomura over 3 years ago

    Please pass the Reparations for Black Students resolution. It is anti-racist policy, and it is what Black students in OUSD need to thrive. Reparations are needed now.

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    Albertina Prins over 3 years ago

    I am a nurse and nurse practitioner in public health and a resident of Oakland. I believe racism is a public health issue. Now is the time to truly address the deeply rooted disparities in our schools and to actively support our Black students. I support these resolutions!

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    katie ferrari over 3 years ago

    I am a teacher in OUSD & I support the ORIGINAL Reparations for Black Students Resolution, not the amended one that was released this past Monday.

    The current, amended, resolution removes 3 critical protections for Black students. It allows for charter school co-locations, only prevents the closure of Historically Black Schools (HBS) for 1 year (instead of permanent protection), and it raises the threshold for a school to be considered HBS from 30% African American students in 2019-20 to 40% African American students in 2020-21. This last component disqualifies Bret Harte, REACH, Laurel, Dewey, Hoover and other schools.

    Preventing school closures & co-locations is the MOST important component of reparations work: in the last 20 years, OUSD has pushed out 18,000 Black students (2/3 of the Black student population) through school closures and co-locations that mirror and accelerate the gentrification sweeping Oakland.

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    Jaydan K over 3 years ago

    VOTE NO. I’ve been living in East Oakland for 20 years. This resolution is unacceptable as is. Our kids don’t need wokery. They need positive role models who stress the importance of hard work. They need to learn self reliance and openness. Not posturing. CRT is poison and it will negatively affect the black community the most. Who’s gonna take responsibility for the bad life decisions our kids make based on this ideology? The so called‘community leaders’ will be long gone.

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    Ann Swinburn over 3 years ago

    As an OUSD parent I want to see the Reparations for Black Students Resolution pass tonight with a unanimous vote and without amendments or redlining. The symbolism of redlining a resolution to support Black students that was written by Black parents, educators and students is outrageous. School closures have done disproportionate harm to Black students in OUSD, and you have a chance tonight to take a step to mitigate additional harm. Please do. 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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    Alexis Young over 3 years ago

    Please vote yes on Reparations for Black Students without amendments. Thank you

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    Cherri Murphy over 3 years ago

    As a Black faith leader I support this resolution because it does not contribute to a watered down approach but instead fosters a strong vision toward racial and economic equity. I am a Black faith leader who is praying for a resolution that embodies our values and finds creative ways to invest in Black students who’ve been hurt most by systems and structures not designed by them. I am praying and bearing witness in the passing of this resolution-that city school board leaders will see the common humanity and needs of our Black students.

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    Frankey Johnson over 3 years ago

    It has always been important to make reparations where they are due, but with the Oakland chapter of the NAACP putting OUSD on notice last week about the achievement gaps for our Black students, it is more important than ever that OUSD look itself in the mirror and make the necessary steps to support our Black students. Gutting this resolution is an act of white supremacy and is completely oppositional to the spirit of this resolution. I urge the board and Super Intendent Johnson-Trammell to pass this overdue resolution as it was written. Our Black students deserve your leadership in this regard.

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    Johnny Trinh 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.

    Our Black students, families, and community members deserve so much better.

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    Meredith Fenton over 3 years ago

    Oakland should be a leader on what it means to create a district that centers the needs of Black students and ensure that Black lives matter. Please vote YES on this critical resolution!

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    Audrey Karlstad over 3 years ago

    As a teacher for OUSD I am asking the Directors to 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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    Stacy D over 3 years ago

    Protect our students, support closing the education gap and promote equity amongst all students. Let’s put more funding into these schools and try to decrease the amount of closures where predominantly black students attend. Vote yes!

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    Joey Notaro over 3 years ago

    I am a District 4 resident and a teacher at Fremont High School. The fact that the vote on this resolution was tabled demonstrates how little our district is doing to support black students, educators, and families in our schools. Directors Eng, Gonzalez, Thompson, and Yee holding out on this vote indicates that they believe that the solution to racial inequity in our school systems is austerity, inefficiency, and privatization. Choke historically black schools of funding, claim that it is the deficits of the teachers, students, or families, and move to close a neighborhood school and destabilize the community by opening charter schools which underserve black students. This proposal is about reinvesting in black communities, in historically black schools. After years of defunding these schools which need the most resources to repair the harm of systemic racism, the directors must take a stand to reinvest in our black students rather than punish the schools for years of underfunding.

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    Aviva Kardener 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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    Jennifer Formoso over 3 years ago

    Oakland schools have promoted the disadvantage of black and brown children for decades. Stop this inequitable action. Also the basic planning of the schools being closed at this point is illogical, 916 new homes will open in the Oak Knoll Naval base in the next few years. You right now are planning on closing every surrounding school to that area. Where are all these kids who move into the 916 homes going to go? It shows a disingenuousness to the idea those buildings will truly be closed, I stead you spear to be closing them to be able to reopen them as charter schools. Keep the public schools open.

    Sincerely,

    Jennifer Formoso

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    Aspen MAIDEN over 3 years ago

    Vote YES on the Reparations for Black Students. OUSD have caused great harm to Black students. NOW IT TIME TO RIGHT THE WRONGS AND PASS THE REPARATIONS FOR BLACK STUDENTS PROPOSAL

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    Tim Marshall over 3 years ago

    I am a district 4 resident, OUSD employee and parent of a Skyline High School student. I want to urge my District 4 director to show the courage to vote for this and take action to repair the harm caused by decades of disinvestment - and to reinvest in Black students, families, schools, and staff in OUSD.