Meeting Time: October 27, 2021 at 4:00pm PDT
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Agenda Item

T.-1 21-2609 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2021-0128D - Budget Reductions In Lieu of Cohort 3 School Consolidations.

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    Renee Swayne about 3 years ago

    I opposed to closing schools and believe it works against its intended purpose. All the talk about "right-sizing" is based on theories but not facts. Closing schools not only cuts resources (instead of saving money), it upsets communities, causes a loss of students, and primarily impacts communities of schools with large numbers of children of color and economically disadvantaged students. On the other hand imposing massive cuts on schools to "punish" them for refusing to be closed does nothing positive for the district. Schools are already suffering in many ways--cuts are short-sighted and foolish. What we need is an honest accounting of what money is available and what costs will be incurred. No one explains in real detail how closing schools saves $2 million and why the losses due to decreased enrollment is never factored into the equation.

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    Mayra Alvarado about 3 years ago

    I'm against this because I'm not only against school closures, but I'm also against cuts to our schools. With millions coming into our schools, this is NOT an option. I'm an OUSD teacher and already know how under-resourced our schools are. Please do NOT pass this. NO CUTS NO CLOSURES.

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    David Weintraub about 3 years ago

    I agree with Judi Burle's comment: "The Board should refuse to approve cuts based on unsubstantiated figures. Not only is the District failing to substantiate their claim that Cohort 3 would have saved $2 million, they're proposing to cut $2 million three times three ways, for a total of $6 million! There has never been any evidence that closing schools saves money; in fact Cohorts 1 and 2 actually cost the district money, per their own analysis."

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    Chaz Garcia about 3 years ago

    I unequivocally oppose cuts and closures. Data has shown that closing schools has actually lost the district a significant amount of money, so just justifying these cuts as a way to prevent closures makes no sense.in either scenario our students lose. I stand in opposition and encourage the
    Directors to join me.

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    Lauren Gerber about 3 years ago

    Pass item T-1 and end school closures in OUSD. There are other ways to approach right-sizing schools.

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    Carolyn Carpenter about 3 years ago

    I support the resolution T1 to STOP the closure of our schools. This is an equity issue.

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    Ramiyah Valentine about 3 years ago

    End school closures

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    Joy Sledge about 3 years ago

    I request that we don't have any more school closures. I've seen a report in the Oakland Post that school closures don't save the district money.

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    Judi Burle about 3 years ago

    The Board should refuse to approve cuts based on unsubstantiated figures. What's the basis for the $2 million figure? Not only is the District failing to substantiate their claim that Cohort 3 would have saved $2 million, they're proposing to cut $2 million three times three ways, for a total of $6 million! There has never been any evidence that closing schools saves money. In fact Cohorts 1 and 2 actually cost the District money, per the District's own analysis last spring, in facilities costs and enrollment losses.

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    Josh cline about 3 years ago

    This resolution amplifies the problem of having district resources spread too thin across too many schools. According to the analysis in this resolution, there is a large structural deficit...AGAIN! We shouldn't keep slashing $ from schools and from central office positions that support schools, which puts more and more stress on all schools and all students. We should work to create large, well-resources, and high-functioning schools across the district. To do this, we need less schools and less empty seats. (I don't agree with the schools likely to be chosen for merger/closure in Cohort 3, but I believe right-sizing must happen.)