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Agenda Item

21-2867 Discussion and/or possible adoption by the Black Student and Families Thriving Task Force of Black Thriving Indicators, Plan and Fund Development.

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    Shaniah Ritzie over 2 years ago

    I'm one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Campaign. The passing of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution in March of last year was supposed to be OUSD’s incentive to invest in Black students and repair generations of harm. Yet here we are not even a year later and the discussion to identify schools for closures continues. OUSD has closed 16 schools since 2004 yet these closures did little to improve the achievement gap of marginalized students. As a result of closures and continued disinvestment OUSD has seen massive enrollment decline in Black Students and has done nothing to rectify anti-Black racist policies and structures. This district's failure to adequately resource schools will not be resolved by further school closures. You must keep your promises! Stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of Black students!

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    Vaidehi Bhardwaj over 2 years ago

    My name is Vaidehi, one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Campaign. The passing of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution in March of last year was supposed to be OUSD’s incentive to invest in Black students and repair generations of harm. Yet here we are not even a year later and the discussion to identify schools for closures continues. OUSD has closed 16 schools since 2004 yet these closures did little to improve the achievement gap of marginalized students. As a result of closures and continued disinvestment OUSD has seen massive enrollment decline in Black Students and has done nothing to rectify anti-Black racist policies and structures. This district's failure to adequately resource schools will not be resolved by further school closures. You must keep your promises! Stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of Black students!

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    Elizabeth Calmeyer over 2 years ago

    OUSD has closed 16 schools since 2004 yet these closures did little to improve the academic outcome of marginalized students. As a result of closures and continued disinvestment, OUSD has seen massive enrollment decline in Black Students. We must be centering the needs of students of color and doing everything to keep them in the district, rather than making decisions that push our Black students our of the district.

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    Kathy Kojimoto over 2 years ago

    As a veteran of the SFSU student led strike for Ethnic Studies, My name is Kathy, I live in D2. I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Campaign. The passing of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution in March of last year was supposed to be OUSD’s incentive to invest in Black students and repair generations of harm. Yet here we are not even a year later and the discussion to identify schools for closures continues. OUSD has closed 16 schools since 2004 yet these closures did little to improve the achievement gap of marginalized students. As a result of closures and continued disinvestment OUSD has seen massive enrollment decline in Black Students and has done nothing to rectify anti-Black racist policies and structures. This district's failure to adequately resource schools will not be resolved by further school closures. You must keep your promises! S

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    Ruth Fallenbaum over 2 years ago

    As a parent of a former OUSD student and myself, a former PTA and School Site Council member, I know the value of neighborhood schools, especially for struggling families. When schools close, the negative impact on African American children, in particular, is significant. Instead of closing schools, OUSD should instead be investing more in those targeted schools, providing more services (psychological, medical, tutoring) to students and their families, and maintaining clean, safe campuses. If you are serious about reparations for Black students, school closures are a very bad first step.

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    Elizabeth Dutton over 2 years ago

    Stop being racist. Board members who vote for this will go down in Oakland history as being racist board members who voted to close schools under the pretense of "budget". You know what you are doing, and you will be held accountable by the community.

    How can you sleep at night knowing that you are doing school board meetings from ZOOM in the comfort of your own home, while sending children to school daily because "school is the safest place" during an Omicron surge, and then have the audacity to bring forward a motion to permanently CLOSE schools during a pandemic? Figure it out. Also some board members ran on a platform of not closing schools so you better stay true to your word.

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    Matthew McIntosh over 2 years ago

    Please stop balancing the budget through school closures and consolidations. These disproportionately impact our Black students. As an OUSD employee, I see the impacts of both effective and ineffective policy each day. Please stand in support of Black students and families.

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    Katherine Falk over 2 years ago

    I am an Oakland parent. The proposal to consolidate/close smaller schools, as it stands, disproportionately harms Black students. The earlier round of closures has not improved things for them. The district must prioritize the wellbeing of Black students and endeavor to keep Black schools open.