22-0243 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2122-0030 - School Consolidations for Fiscal Years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
· Presentation by the Superintendent of Schools of recommendations for School Consolidations for Fiscal Years 2022-23 and 2023-24
· Public Comments on proposed School Consolidations
· Discussion of the Board by and between Members and/or the Superintendent of Schools and/or designee(s)
· Action by Board on Resolution No. 2122-0030
I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and am OPPOSED to OUSD’s attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our Black students. The cry from our community is clear—school closures are NOT helping us create the Oakland we believe will nurture our Black children. Please stop this racist, harmful school closure policy and please recommit to working with the Reparations Task Force to create a racial equity impact analysis of future school closure decisions. Thank you!
As a parent of two students in OUSD, I strongly oppose the further closure and consolidation of schools in Oakland. This rushed process, without any equity review, is a violation of your own policies and an insult to Oakland's students, especially its Black and brown students. If this District is truly in a financial crisis, you should first stop wasting money on administrative offices and house administrators in any of the other vacant properties owned by this district. You should reduce the number of administrators, especially those who have established a track record of wastefulness and dishonesty (take a close look at the leadership in Facilities), and eliminate consultants across the board. You know that every school building you close will turn into a charter, further destabilizing and damaging our public-school system. This Board's racist actions will not be forgotten in the community. You should be deeply ashamed of yourselves.
There is zero proof that school closures save money. OUSD has presented zero data about savings from the closures in 2020 or 2012--presumably because zero money was saved.
School closures harm kids, families and communities. The board should absolutely reject this plan.
I'm a teacher and parent at Manzanita SEED and a resident of district 2. I strongly oppose any school closures or mergers on such a short timeline without community input. These closures will disproportionately affect our Black students and their families. We know that closing schools does not save money in the long term. Find a different way. Do not balance the budget on the backs of our Black and Brown students. Get rid of the offices at 1000 Broadway. Get rid of the overpaid, worthless consultants. Stop emptying school buildings, only to allow charter schools to move in. Instead, slow down, think about what you are doing, take the time to engage with school communities. NO CUTS! NO CLOSURES!
As a resident of Oakland for more than four decades I am voicing my strong support of resolution 2317 ITEM 7. The weight of substandard schools has always landed disproportionately on Black and Brown children in East and West Oakland. The Alameda County Board of Education passed Resolution Number 2226 to voice that racism has no place in our society and to encourage the adoption of policies that eradicates the systemic injustices. OUSD’s plan to close or merge up to 18 almost exclusively low-income Black and Brown schools with no community engagement violates OUSD’s own Equity, Community Engagement and Reparations for Black Students policies and is an ill conceived plan which disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities. The ACOE resolution is necessary to ensure that districts like OUSD in Alameda County follow their own resolutions and policies, and to ensure that disproportionate harm does not occur to communities already deeply impacted by the pandemic.
I strongly oppose the proposed school closures. The district can afford to keep these schools open and must not take actions that will disproportionately affect Black students.
This decision seems rash and will disproportionately affect students of color. As an adult child of educators on both sides of my family, I request more consideration to be given to the subject.
The children of Oakland have been through too much these past two years. To rush a plan like this without community input or involvement is very disappointing. You can do better than this. No school closures!!
Re: Agenda ítem 22-0243: Please reconsider this consolidation plan for Oakland schools. I realize finances are concerning, but the present plan unfairly impacts Black students. Looking at this through the lens of equity for all, consolidation is not the answer. If you do nothing else, please pause, listen to the community and weigh every option. Thank you.
Hello, I am a former educator who lives in Oakland council district 2, and I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution. I am strongly opposing OUSD’s attempt to balance their own budget mistakes on the backs of our Black and brown students. This is extremely irresponsible and blatantly racist. It’s criminal to punish already underserved students because of your own budget mismanagement. Where is the accountability for where the money is going, and who is actually being served here? OUSD’s history of school closures has already demonstrated that this will not produce your desired savings results. Public schools are cornerstones of our communities. Limiting access to education because of corrupt budgeting and privatization does not serve our students, only corporate interests. Hands off our Oakland schools!!!
I, like many others in my community, are outraged by the school closures and collocations you all are proposing for this school year. We know that closing public schools does not save the district any money. It only serves to displace families, dismantle communities and allow the charter school industry to grow. Furthermore, these school closures are a racist attack on our community and we will not tolerate that. Not today, not tomorrow and not on election day. I stand in solidarity with educators, students, families and community members who are demanding that our community schools stay open. That is why I participate in a 24hr solidarity hunger strike today. I wanted to honor and uplift Moses and Andre, the two Westlake educators who are on a rolling hunger strike and shed light on how this board and this superintendent have STARVED our community.
As a parent of an OUSD student and an educator, I am opposed to closing down Oakland schools. The OUSD budget should not be balanced on the backs of students of color. A decision to close community schools is too major a choice to decide without significant community engagement, and it is unconscionable to propose closing schools without fully considering the hugely negative impact it will have on communities and families. I am particularly opposed to closing alternative education and special education programs that serve students who already have been shut out of the educational process in so many ways. There are other ways to handle a budget crisis and OUSD’s own history of school closures is a clear indicator that closing schools will not produce the desired district savings. Keep schools open!!!
I oppose the school closures and attempted charter school takeover. There are other ways to save money than just closing Black and Brown schools, but I guess OUSD’s well paid execs and consultants can’t (or won’t) figure it out.
I support the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and urge you to not close or consolidate schools. This is the most harmful way to balance a budget, especially when other options have not been explored. It's a rushed decision that requires much more thought and community engagement and an equity analysis to ensure that Black students are not disproportionately impacted by these cuts/consolidations. I am a parent of an OUSD student (MLA). I want to keep my child in public schools but I am losing faith in the district. Please don't close or consolidate schools!
My name is Laiza Reconco. Im in 11th grade. I attend Oakland High School and am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am in opposition of school closures and consolidations because they impact our communities so negatively. They stress our kids, make mental health worse, and they risky our kids academic futures. They are targeting Black schools for these closures. This is wrong because these children are going to feel the repercussions of adult choices and aren’t getting the support they deserve. Black students should be set up for success by the district providing/ investing in their schools and education. This includes books, teachers, etc. They shouldn't be the first ones who are forced to unmanageable budget cuts and school closures. I demand that OUSD votes NO on school closures and consolidations. Closing schools is wrong because they impact the most important part of any community, the kids, in a negative way. Do the right thing and listen to the community.
You need to evaluate who will be most impacted by the policy decisions you are making. Historically and currently Black communities are disproportionately impacted. This is the definition of systemic racism and you are upholding it by choice. This very clearly would have a disproportionate impact on our Black youth and families. It is time to disrupt the pattern. INVEST in our communities and our youth. Act like you care.
I oppose closures of primarily Black schools.
I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and am OPPOSED to OUSD’s attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our Black students. The cry from our community is clear—school closures are NOT helping us create the Oakland we believe will nurture our Black children. Please stop this racist, harmful school closure policy and please recommit to working with the Reparations Task Force to create a racial equity impact analysis of future school closure decisions. Thank you!
Please do not close our schools!!
As a parent of two students in OUSD, I strongly oppose the further closure and consolidation of schools in Oakland. This rushed process, without any equity review, is a violation of your own policies and an insult to Oakland's students, especially its Black and brown students. If this District is truly in a financial crisis, you should first stop wasting money on administrative offices and house administrators in any of the other vacant properties owned by this district. You should reduce the number of administrators, especially those who have established a track record of wastefulness and dishonesty (take a close look at the leadership in Facilities), and eliminate consultants across the board. You know that every school building you close will turn into a charter, further destabilizing and damaging our public-school system. This Board's racist actions will not be forgotten in the community. You should be deeply ashamed of yourselves.
There is zero proof that school closures save money. OUSD has presented zero data about savings from the closures in 2020 or 2012--presumably because zero money was saved.
School closures harm kids, families and communities. The board should absolutely reject this plan.
I'm a teacher and parent at Manzanita SEED and a resident of district 2. I strongly oppose any school closures or mergers on such a short timeline without community input. These closures will disproportionately affect our Black students and their families. We know that closing schools does not save money in the long term. Find a different way. Do not balance the budget on the backs of our Black and Brown students. Get rid of the offices at 1000 Broadway. Get rid of the overpaid, worthless consultants. Stop emptying school buildings, only to allow charter schools to move in. Instead, slow down, think about what you are doing, take the time to engage with school communities. NO CUTS! NO CLOSURES!
As a resident of Oakland for more than four decades I am voicing my strong support of resolution 2317 ITEM 7. The weight of substandard schools has always landed disproportionately on Black and Brown children in East and West Oakland. The Alameda County Board of Education passed Resolution Number 2226 to voice that racism has no place in our society and to encourage the adoption of policies that eradicates the systemic injustices. OUSD’s plan to close or merge up to 18 almost exclusively low-income Black and Brown schools with no community engagement violates OUSD’s own Equity, Community Engagement and Reparations for Black Students policies and is an ill conceived plan which disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities. The ACOE resolution is necessary to ensure that districts like OUSD in Alameda County follow their own resolutions and policies, and to ensure that disproportionate harm does not occur to communities already deeply impacted by the pandemic.
I strongly oppose the proposed school closures. The district can afford to keep these schools open and must not take actions that will disproportionately affect Black students.
This decision seems rash and will disproportionately affect students of color. As an adult child of educators on both sides of my family, I request more consideration to be given to the subject.
The children of Oakland have been through too much these past two years. To rush a plan like this without community input or involvement is very disappointing. You can do better than this. No school closures!!
Re: Agenda ítem 22-0243: Please reconsider this consolidation plan for Oakland schools. I realize finances are concerning, but the present plan unfairly impacts Black students. Looking at this through the lens of equity for all, consolidation is not the answer. If you do nothing else, please pause, listen to the community and weigh every option. Thank you.
No school closures - especially in predominately black/brown schools!
Hello, I am a former educator who lives in Oakland council district 2, and I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution. I am strongly opposing OUSD’s attempt to balance their own budget mistakes on the backs of our Black and brown students. This is extremely irresponsible and blatantly racist. It’s criminal to punish already underserved students because of your own budget mismanagement. Where is the accountability for where the money is going, and who is actually being served here? OUSD’s history of school closures has already demonstrated that this will not produce your desired savings results. Public schools are cornerstones of our communities. Limiting access to education because of corrupt budgeting and privatization does not serve our students, only corporate interests. Hands off our Oakland schools!!!
I, like many others in my community, are outraged by the school closures and collocations you all are proposing for this school year. We know that closing public schools does not save the district any money. It only serves to displace families, dismantle communities and allow the charter school industry to grow. Furthermore, these school closures are a racist attack on our community and we will not tolerate that. Not today, not tomorrow and not on election day. I stand in solidarity with educators, students, families and community members who are demanding that our community schools stay open. That is why I participate in a 24hr solidarity hunger strike today. I wanted to honor and uplift Moses and Andre, the two Westlake educators who are on a rolling hunger strike and shed light on how this board and this superintendent have STARVED our community.
As a parent of an OUSD student and an educator, I am opposed to closing down Oakland schools. The OUSD budget should not be balanced on the backs of students of color. A decision to close community schools is too major a choice to decide without significant community engagement, and it is unconscionable to propose closing schools without fully considering the hugely negative impact it will have on communities and families. I am particularly opposed to closing alternative education and special education programs that serve students who already have been shut out of the educational process in so many ways. There are other ways to handle a budget crisis and OUSD’s own history of school closures is a clear indicator that closing schools will not produce the desired district savings. Keep schools open!!!
I oppose the school closures and attempted charter school takeover. There are other ways to save money than just closing Black and Brown schools, but I guess OUSD’s well paid execs and consultants can’t (or won’t) figure it out.
Keep our schools open!
My school has also been in this situation and I understand let's keep Oakland schools open
I support the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and urge you to not close or consolidate schools. This is the most harmful way to balance a budget, especially when other options have not been explored. It's a rushed decision that requires much more thought and community engagement and an equity analysis to ensure that Black students are not disproportionately impacted by these cuts/consolidations. I am a parent of an OUSD student (MLA). I want to keep my child in public schools but I am losing faith in the district. Please don't close or consolidate schools!
My name is Laiza Reconco. Im in 11th grade. I attend Oakland High School and am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am in opposition of school closures and consolidations because they impact our communities so negatively. They stress our kids, make mental health worse, and they risky our kids academic futures. They are targeting Black schools for these closures. This is wrong because these children are going to feel the repercussions of adult choices and aren’t getting the support they deserve. Black students should be set up for success by the district providing/ investing in their schools and education. This includes books, teachers, etc. They shouldn't be the first ones who are forced to unmanageable budget cuts and school closures. I demand that OUSD votes NO on school closures and consolidations. Closing schools is wrong because they impact the most important part of any community, the kids, in a negative way. Do the right thing and listen to the community.
You need to evaluate who will be most impacted by the policy decisions you are making. Historically and currently Black communities are disproportionately impacted. This is the definition of systemic racism and you are upholding it by choice. This very clearly would have a disproportionate impact on our Black youth and families. It is time to disrupt the pattern. INVEST in our communities and our youth. Act like you care.