I am outraged and opposed to the potential school closures in Oakland, in particular our school, Westlake Middle School.
It is unbelievable to me that this is even a consideration. Our child just transferred in and I have never seen our child so happy.
Unfortunately, it is not surprising that many of the school on the list have larger black and brown student population.
Our family is OPPOSED to this, and all, potential closures. It is disruptive to our children, our families, our teachers and our community. We implore you, a board, to stop these closures.
As the parent of a Hillcrest 1st and 4th grader, I am writing to express opposition to the closure of Hillcrest 6-8. Our beloved neighborhood school is finally regaining its footing after a tumultuous year. Losing our middle schoolers - suddenly, without warning or an opportunity for meaningful dialogue - would be a devastating blow to our kids. Enrollment at all grade levels will suffer as a result, and likely already has.
School closure decisions are never easy. But when one school closes or consolidates with another there are (theoretically) cost savings that come with shutting down a school site. This would not be the case at Hillcrest. So, what then is the justification? The school is fully enrolled, and the students are thriving. Closing a high-performing, much sought after middle school defies common sense. I urge the Board to reconsider, and to provide greater transparency and opportunity for community input in this process.
I write to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School, and any school in Oakland during a pandemic, and the Board's process in doing so. As a parent of a 4rd and 8th grader at Hillcrest, I've seen the school deliver on the promise of public education, and there are waiting lists for the middle school grades (and elementary) EVERY year.... it serves the neighborhood it's located in, is fully enrolled, and is high-achieving. Closing schools in Oakland after the 2 years we have endured will continue the exodus of students leaving the district. This is short sited. I strongly oppose school closures at this time, and especially on such a compressed timeline without community involvement and input- this is all unacceptable.
I am writing to oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Hillcrest's middle school is a large factor in why families choose to live in Oakland, pay the high property taxes to live in Upper Rockridge, and send their kids to an OUSD school for the Elementary years. It is a small, unique middle school that offers a great education to students that stay. I worry that with the potential closure, we will lose more families to private schools. I understand that we may be considered a "privileged" school. That being said, the parents fund many positions through the PTA and a $10K annual amount is donated for equity allies, which is then distributed to OUSD schools in need. I worry that this will also be lost as more and more families take their kids (and money) elsewhere.
I strongly oppose any move to close any by OUSD school! The district’s own documents say that school closures do not save money and this only further disrupts the educational experiences of students! No school closures!
I know I’m partial as an alum, but…..How do you close a school (Grass Valley) that is 98%POC and 78% Low income with nowhere for them to go? The closest school, Parker, is 3.2 miles up and down hills with no sidewalks. Oh wait, they’re on the chopping block too. Where exactly do you plan on sending those kids? I seriously would like an answer. I would also like to see the board members walk it.
I oppose the plan to close schools in Oakland.
It is absolutely egregious that there's a secret plan to close SO many Oakland schools. I was talking to a friend, who is the parent of a preschool student. She says, "The inconsistency and disrespect that OUSD shows to school communities during a global pandemic is unreal - that is what makes sending my child to an Oakland school so scary." You are ruining the trust that the Oakland community has in their schools, and systematically dismantling public education. It is deplorable to disrupt communities right now. Be better, OUSD. We need you, now more than ever, to respect - AND FUND - school communities. Fight against FCMAT, and use your budget wisely to keep schools open during this 2021-22 school year.
I write to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School. As a parent of a 3rd and 6th grader at Hillcrest, I've seen the school deliver on the promise of public education. I struggle to see what Hillcrest middle school isn't doing that would make it a candidate for this list: not fully enrolled? low achieving? not largely serving the neighborhood in which it is sited? No, no, and no.
I also question the premise of cost reduction through school closure more generally, but most emphatically, the Board's process - and apparent compressed timeframe in which the decisions will be implemented - for deciding on site closures is unconscionable, comically opaque, and unacceptable.
I vehemently oppose the closing of Hillcrest Middle School. We have a second grader there and would dearly love for him to be able to go to middle school there as well. The school is fully enrolled, supported by the community and doing well. Our kids need consistency. We will likely leave the district for middle if Hillcrest Middle closes.
Closing high performing, beloved schools does not result in retaining families and increasing enrollment… it just makes people leave and go the private route if they can. I went to public schools from K- college and wanted my kids to as well but feel increasingly like the decisions are being made at OUSD that don’t make sense and that isn’t in the cards for my family.
I am writing to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Children throughout the district are just beginning to gain a steady footing after so much turmoil, stress and pain caused by the pandemic and remote school. It is cruel to be contemplating school closures while kids are still recovering from learning loss, while we are currently in the midst of so much pandemic uncertainty, and without any community input. This is certainly not action a district would take if it really cared about the long term well-being and mental health of the children. Oakland is in an enrollment crisis, due in part to the district's failure to prioritize students' best interests last year. Closing beloved, high-performing neighborhood schools is only going to cause those numbers to grow and more families to leave. It makes no logical sense to close a school that is so highly regarded and fully subscribed. It is time to put the best interests of Oakland children and families first.
I'm writing to oppose the proposed closure of Hillcrest 6-8 put forth earlier this week. As others have noted, the notion of closing an oversubscribed, high-performing, diverse school with an excellent, consistent staff is economically unsound (particularly when paired with the now-available stats re the *incremental expense* of past OUSD school closures). But beyond the "what" here, the "how" is truly out of sync with OUSD's purported values: There has been no community input, no transparency re why these schools are on the chopping block or how their closure would help OUSD's budget, no regard for families forced to scramble in the midst of a pandemic. I'm the parent of a 5th and 3rd grader at Hillcrest, our beloved neighborhood school. We didn't go through the process of evaluating other OUSD middle schools for my daughter because we were committed to Hillcrest, and the time window for this has now passed. Keep high-performing schools open and uphold the values that OUSD has touted.
My name is Mayra Alvarado. I'm a teacher at Manzanita SEED and a resident of district 4. It is unconscionable that you would consider closing/merging schools in a pandemic without community input. You haven't produced any evidence that school closures will save this district money. Over the last two decades OUSD has closed 16 schools. These closures haven't closed the achievement gap or saved the district significant money. This will only exacerbate the exodus of Black and Brown students in our district. Please vote against any school closures, cuts, and consolidations.
As an educator at Dewey and resident of district 2, it hurts to see such blatant disregard for the promises you made to Black students and families, indeed to all families, students and staff at our schools, by closing Black and Brown majority schools without any input or consideration from the impacted communities. You must keep your promises and stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of Black students. The data the board was given is flawed!
The resolution originally stated there would be $6 million in savings from these school closures, despite the fact that these schools were "unidentified" until now. By going around that you're showing that # is fake, or you already made the decisions, or both. Please act in good faith & serve the communities that elected you! Join the the just side of history! Math teachers & public health researchers made an accurate data presentation here for all to view https://tinyurl.com/Fact-Checked-OUSD-Data-Jan22 - this proves OUSD wrong.
I am heartbroken to see this list of potential school closures throughout the district. As a parent of a 3rd grader at Hillcrest, and a former K-8 teacher at a public school in San Francisco, I am so upset that a thriving, diverse, and high performing middle school is being threatened with closure. The K-8 model is special and provides students with the opportunity to grow up together and spend the often tumultuous middle school years in a smaller setting of kids who they’ve known forever. It is one of the many reasons we love this school for our kids. Hillcrest is a fully enrolled, successful school and this potential closure of its middle school makes absolutely no sense. After the last 2 years, no child in Oakland should have their school taken from them. Please find a way to give these communities a break!
As the parent of two students at Hillcrest School, with another child entering in 2025, I oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Hillcrest is beloved in the community for its dedicated teachers and staff, top notch academic performance, amazingly diverse student body, and unique K-8 program. Parents especially cherish its middle school offering. Over the years we have noticed that the middle school makes Hillcrest a uniquely nurturing place for kids - they quite literally grow up together, from K to 8th grade, and as each class ascends to the next, the older kids take on a sense of responsibility for the younger kids. The school fosters these connections by creating inter-grade buddies and generally cultivating a strong sense of community care. Thus, to hear of the potential closure of the middle school is greatly distressing - not to mention confounding, given its full enrollment. We implore the Board to remove Hillcrest Middle School from consideration for potential closure.
It has repeatedly been shown that school closures DO NOT SAVE MONEY. Our community was deeply traumatized by our previous school closure (Kaiser). It was a slap in the face when we later read that the merger COST $150K for the 19/20 school year, & only saved $161K in 20-21.
It is heartless to close ANY schools right now during the pandemic.
Regarding Hillcrest Middle being on the chopping block- this is a thriving school that is consistently oversubscribed, and is high-performing. Closure of our school at the end of the year is not only shortsighted -- bc the district will continue to bleed families-- it is also mean-spirited since kids going into middle school would have already needed to apply by the time the decision/vote happens. School Mint deadline is 2/4/22 and many private school application deadlines have passed.
I'm deeply disappointed that this continues to be a conversation & that you will not let the community even catch our breath following the last 2 horrific years.
I strongly oppose the list of schools to close in 2022-2023. Most of the schools are in Black and Brown communities. If you close their nearest school, then it may be harder for them to get to another school. We don't have school busses to transport them like Berkeley and other cities do. Not everyone can afford AC Transit or have access to transportation. Also, you're showing these students and families that you serve that we don't matter or that our needs and services aren't important. Please truly think about the families in the neighborhoods. You don't save money from closing schools, but you can from cutting from the top positions. We need teachers and other staff members on the front lines and we're losing them because you're turning them away and not increasing their pay.
I oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. The school is doing a great job of educating my 3rd grade daughter, and we look forward to having her younger sister join her in a few years as a student. The school is incredibly diverse, which was a major selling point for my wife and myself as people of color. It is also incredibly successful, with the vast majority of students performing at or above grade level. Finally, the school appears to be fully enrolled at both the elementary and middle school levels, suggesting that it is economically sound. Why close something that is working? When looking for a house in the East Bay many years ago, we were always told that Oakland had terrible schools and that we should look elsewhere despite liking the ethnic diversity. Hillcrest defies this stereotype and provides a compelling reason for a lot of families to move here. Why eliminate this?
I oppose the closure of the Hillcrest Middle School which is a very successful school that has tremendous community support. I have two daughters at Hillcrest (K and 2nd) and they already talk about wanting to attend the Middle School! Running a school district is not easy, especially a diverse one like OUSD. But destroying something good is not the way to the development of our collective children--future leaders of not only the USA but the World!
Please remove Hillcrest Middle School from your potential list of school closures.
I am outraged and opposed to the potential school closures in Oakland, in particular our school, Westlake Middle School.
It is unbelievable to me that this is even a consideration. Our child just transferred in and I have never seen our child so happy.
Unfortunately, it is not surprising that many of the school on the list have larger black and brown student population.
Our family is OPPOSED to this, and all, potential closures. It is disruptive to our children, our families, our teachers and our community. We implore you, a board, to stop these closures.
Keep our schools open. Keep Westlake open
As the parent of a Hillcrest 1st and 4th grader, I am writing to express opposition to the closure of Hillcrest 6-8. Our beloved neighborhood school is finally regaining its footing after a tumultuous year. Losing our middle schoolers - suddenly, without warning or an opportunity for meaningful dialogue - would be a devastating blow to our kids. Enrollment at all grade levels will suffer as a result, and likely already has.
School closure decisions are never easy. But when one school closes or consolidates with another there are (theoretically) cost savings that come with shutting down a school site. This would not be the case at Hillcrest. So, what then is the justification? The school is fully enrolled, and the students are thriving. Closing a high-performing, much sought after middle school defies common sense. I urge the Board to reconsider, and to provide greater transparency and opportunity for community input in this process.
I write to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School, and any school in Oakland during a pandemic, and the Board's process in doing so. As a parent of a 4rd and 8th grader at Hillcrest, I've seen the school deliver on the promise of public education, and there are waiting lists for the middle school grades (and elementary) EVERY year.... it serves the neighborhood it's located in, is fully enrolled, and is high-achieving. Closing schools in Oakland after the 2 years we have endured will continue the exodus of students leaving the district. This is short sited. I strongly oppose school closures at this time, and especially on such a compressed timeline without community involvement and input- this is all unacceptable.
I am writing to oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Hillcrest's middle school is a large factor in why families choose to live in Oakland, pay the high property taxes to live in Upper Rockridge, and send their kids to an OUSD school for the Elementary years. It is a small, unique middle school that offers a great education to students that stay. I worry that with the potential closure, we will lose more families to private schools. I understand that we may be considered a "privileged" school. That being said, the parents fund many positions through the PTA and a $10K annual amount is donated for equity allies, which is then distributed to OUSD schools in need. I worry that this will also be lost as more and more families take their kids (and money) elsewhere.
I strongly oppose any move to close any by OUSD school! The district’s own documents say that school closures do not save money and this only further disrupts the educational experiences of students! No school closures!
I know I’m partial as an alum, but…..How do you close a school (Grass Valley) that is 98%POC and 78% Low income with nowhere for them to go? The closest school, Parker, is 3.2 miles up and down hills with no sidewalks. Oh wait, they’re on the chopping block too. Where exactly do you plan on sending those kids? I seriously would like an answer. I would also like to see the board members walk it.
I oppose the plan to close schools in Oakland.
It is absolutely egregious that there's a secret plan to close SO many Oakland schools. I was talking to a friend, who is the parent of a preschool student. She says, "The inconsistency and disrespect that OUSD shows to school communities during a global pandemic is unreal - that is what makes sending my child to an Oakland school so scary." You are ruining the trust that the Oakland community has in their schools, and systematically dismantling public education. It is deplorable to disrupt communities right now. Be better, OUSD. We need you, now more than ever, to respect - AND FUND - school communities. Fight against FCMAT, and use your budget wisely to keep schools open during this 2021-22 school year.
I write to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School. As a parent of a 3rd and 6th grader at Hillcrest, I've seen the school deliver on the promise of public education. I struggle to see what Hillcrest middle school isn't doing that would make it a candidate for this list: not fully enrolled? low achieving? not largely serving the neighborhood in which it is sited? No, no, and no.
I also question the premise of cost reduction through school closure more generally, but most emphatically, the Board's process - and apparent compressed timeframe in which the decisions will be implemented - for deciding on site closures is unconscionable, comically opaque, and unacceptable.
I vehemently oppose the closing of Hillcrest Middle School. We have a second grader there and would dearly love for him to be able to go to middle school there as well. The school is fully enrolled, supported by the community and doing well. Our kids need consistency. We will likely leave the district for middle if Hillcrest Middle closes.
Closing high performing, beloved schools does not result in retaining families and increasing enrollment… it just makes people leave and go the private route if they can. I went to public schools from K- college and wanted my kids to as well but feel increasingly like the decisions are being made at OUSD that don’t make sense and that isn’t in the cards for my family.
I am writing to oppose the potential closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Children throughout the district are just beginning to gain a steady footing after so much turmoil, stress and pain caused by the pandemic and remote school. It is cruel to be contemplating school closures while kids are still recovering from learning loss, while we are currently in the midst of so much pandemic uncertainty, and without any community input. This is certainly not action a district would take if it really cared about the long term well-being and mental health of the children. Oakland is in an enrollment crisis, due in part to the district's failure to prioritize students' best interests last year. Closing beloved, high-performing neighborhood schools is only going to cause those numbers to grow and more families to leave. It makes no logical sense to close a school that is so highly regarded and fully subscribed. It is time to put the best interests of Oakland children and families first.
I'm writing to oppose the proposed closure of Hillcrest 6-8 put forth earlier this week. As others have noted, the notion of closing an oversubscribed, high-performing, diverse school with an excellent, consistent staff is economically unsound (particularly when paired with the now-available stats re the *incremental expense* of past OUSD school closures). But beyond the "what" here, the "how" is truly out of sync with OUSD's purported values: There has been no community input, no transparency re why these schools are on the chopping block or how their closure would help OUSD's budget, no regard for families forced to scramble in the midst of a pandemic. I'm the parent of a 5th and 3rd grader at Hillcrest, our beloved neighborhood school. We didn't go through the process of evaluating other OUSD middle schools for my daughter because we were committed to Hillcrest, and the time window for this has now passed. Keep high-performing schools open and uphold the values that OUSD has touted.
I oppose any closure of the Hillcrest middle school. It is a well-performing school with a lot of community support.
My name is Mayra Alvarado. I'm a teacher at Manzanita SEED and a resident of district 4. It is unconscionable that you would consider closing/merging schools in a pandemic without community input. You haven't produced any evidence that school closures will save this district money. Over the last two decades OUSD has closed 16 schools. These closures haven't closed the achievement gap or saved the district significant money. This will only exacerbate the exodus of Black and Brown students in our district. Please vote against any school closures, cuts, and consolidations.
As an educator at Dewey and resident of district 2, it hurts to see such blatant disregard for the promises you made to Black students and families, indeed to all families, students and staff at our schools, by closing Black and Brown majority schools without any input or consideration from the impacted communities. You must keep your promises and stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of Black students. The data the board was given is flawed!
The resolution originally stated there would be $6 million in savings from these school closures, despite the fact that these schools were "unidentified" until now. By going around that you're showing that # is fake, or you already made the decisions, or both. Please act in good faith & serve the communities that elected you! Join the the just side of history! Math teachers & public health researchers made an accurate data presentation here for all to view https://tinyurl.com/Fact-Checked-OUSD-Data-Jan22 - this proves OUSD wrong.
I am heartbroken to see this list of potential school closures throughout the district. As a parent of a 3rd grader at Hillcrest, and a former K-8 teacher at a public school in San Francisco, I am so upset that a thriving, diverse, and high performing middle school is being threatened with closure. The K-8 model is special and provides students with the opportunity to grow up together and spend the often tumultuous middle school years in a smaller setting of kids who they’ve known forever. It is one of the many reasons we love this school for our kids. Hillcrest is a fully enrolled, successful school and this potential closure of its middle school makes absolutely no sense. After the last 2 years, no child in Oakland should have their school taken from them. Please find a way to give these communities a break!
As the parent of two students at Hillcrest School, with another child entering in 2025, I oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. Hillcrest is beloved in the community for its dedicated teachers and staff, top notch academic performance, amazingly diverse student body, and unique K-8 program. Parents especially cherish its middle school offering. Over the years we have noticed that the middle school makes Hillcrest a uniquely nurturing place for kids - they quite literally grow up together, from K to 8th grade, and as each class ascends to the next, the older kids take on a sense of responsibility for the younger kids. The school fosters these connections by creating inter-grade buddies and generally cultivating a strong sense of community care. Thus, to hear of the potential closure of the middle school is greatly distressing - not to mention confounding, given its full enrollment. We implore the Board to remove Hillcrest Middle School from consideration for potential closure.
It has repeatedly been shown that school closures DO NOT SAVE MONEY. Our community was deeply traumatized by our previous school closure (Kaiser). It was a slap in the face when we later read that the merger COST $150K for the 19/20 school year, & only saved $161K in 20-21.
It is heartless to close ANY schools right now during the pandemic.
Regarding Hillcrest Middle being on the chopping block- this is a thriving school that is consistently oversubscribed, and is high-performing. Closure of our school at the end of the year is not only shortsighted -- bc the district will continue to bleed families-- it is also mean-spirited since kids going into middle school would have already needed to apply by the time the decision/vote happens. School Mint deadline is 2/4/22 and many private school application deadlines have passed.
I'm deeply disappointed that this continues to be a conversation & that you will not let the community even catch our breath following the last 2 horrific years.
I strongly oppose the list of schools to close in 2022-2023. Most of the schools are in Black and Brown communities. If you close their nearest school, then it may be harder for them to get to another school. We don't have school busses to transport them like Berkeley and other cities do. Not everyone can afford AC Transit or have access to transportation. Also, you're showing these students and families that you serve that we don't matter or that our needs and services aren't important. Please truly think about the families in the neighborhoods. You don't save money from closing schools, but you can from cutting from the top positions. We need teachers and other staff members on the front lines and we're losing them because you're turning them away and not increasing their pay.
I oppose the closure of Hillcrest Middle School. The school is doing a great job of educating my 3rd grade daughter, and we look forward to having her younger sister join her in a few years as a student. The school is incredibly diverse, which was a major selling point for my wife and myself as people of color. It is also incredibly successful, with the vast majority of students performing at or above grade level. Finally, the school appears to be fully enrolled at both the elementary and middle school levels, suggesting that it is economically sound. Why close something that is working? When looking for a house in the East Bay many years ago, we were always told that Oakland had terrible schools and that we should look elsewhere despite liking the ethnic diversity. Hillcrest defies this stereotype and provides a compelling reason for a lot of families to move here. Why eliminate this?
I oppose the closure of the Hillcrest Middle School which is a very successful school that has tremendous community support. I have two daughters at Hillcrest (K and 2nd) and they already talk about wanting to attend the Middle School! Running a school district is not easy, especially a diverse one like OUSD. But destroying something good is not the way to the development of our collective children--future leaders of not only the USA but the World!
Please remove Hillcrest Middle School from your potential list of school closures.