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 oppose the pending resolution to close schools without engaging the community in a transparent process, presenting concrete proof that passed school closures resulted in substantial savings, doing a detailed equity analysis so that Black and Brown communities do not continue to suffer from school closures, and examining other ways to achieve savings. We have 47 administrators making over 200,000 K a year. In 2018, we had 17. Is it conscionable to inflict harm on Black and Brown communities while giving raises to administrators? The school board is responsible for the proliferation of charter schools, draining resources from district run schools and damaging communities in East and West Oakland disproportionately. It is time for a full examination of all of this, not a rushed decision to close more schools. It is obvious you do not have the support of the community in going through with this resolution. Please stop now.
I am a teacher at Madison Park Upper campus and neighbor in Brookfield. I strongly oppose the closure of our neighborhood elementary school, Brookfield Elementary, and all the proposed school closures. Closing Brookfield Elementary would displace 154 students, almost all low-income students of color, to MPA Lower Campus, Esperanza or other options even further away which all require a 20-30 minute walk across 98th Ave. Clearly student safety was not considered in proposing these closures! Trying to rush through these closures without community input and consultation is going to lead to unsafe commutes for kids all over the district. Historically, school closures have disproportionately displaced low-income students of color WITHOUT leading to a better education for the displaced students OR saving the district money.
As the parent of a former OUSD student, retired teacher, and past President of OEA, I have seen the effect of school closures over a span of nearly 40 years and it isn't pretty. School closures do NOT save a substantial amount of money; what they DO do is to disrupt communities, drive families out of OUSD and into charter schools, and traumatize children who have already been deeply affected by the pandemic. This is a short-sighted move (I refuse to say solution), done without community input, and destined to cause even more turmoil in an already chaotic situation. NO MORE SCHOOL CLOSURES!
Do not merge these schools. It will devastate the communities these students are part of as well as the well-being of their teachers. Instead, draw funding from the absolutely overblown OPD budget and properly invest resources in Oakland communities. This is proposal is very clearly racist and abhorrent.
We cannot move forward with these closures without proper community engagement. I urge OUSD to explore other options for cost savings that do not close schools, particularly schools where Black students would be disproportionately affected.
The short time between the release of selected schools and Board vote, with total disregard for those most affected to be a part of the planning process, is unethical and violates OUSD’s own Equity, Community Engagement and Reparations for Black Students policies. It is an ill conceived plan which disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities. As a community member and part of an organization that has been deeply embedded in the Prescott community and a part of schools throughout Oakland, we know the ways our schools anchor our communities through their educational, cultural, familial, and social assets. Closing Prescott and our other sister schools unravels pivotal centers that help to keep our communities in tact on so many levels. Look to the studies on placemaking, belonging, and equity and understand that there ARE ways we can keep our schools open and generate more money for the district. Stop putting short sighted capital over human lives. OPPOSE this Resolution.
I oppose to closing schools because many students won’t have them close enough to go and will affect their families also closing schools that have the majority of black students isn’t right.
Closing these schools would be a testament to the inability of the board to plan, to learn from their own history of school closures, and to care for the children of Oakland and the future of Oakland. As a Pediatrician here, I care for the kids of Oakland for less pay then the superintendent, as do all the teachers. The need to consolidate schools is understandable, but closing one and hoping they travel, rather than returning to the same building that will likely become a charter school based on the history of 77% of ousd closed schools becoming charter schools, is really wishful thinking. Under enrollment and too many schools is not a new problem, you had years to build a lovely new school for these students between 2 sites and then sell of those sites. The Raiders didn’t take seasons off waiting for their new stadium in Vegas. Build it first.
California has 31 thousand million extra dollars in the budget it has to spend this year to not break the law, may the governor could help.
My name is Eric and I go to Fremont high school and I think they should close schools because people will have to go to schools where you have to pay and some people don’t have that money
I oppose closing the predominantly African American schools. Don't you know how this looks to us? Instead of putting money and super teachers into Oakland schools you are just closing and hoping the problems will get fixed. Don't you know how problems get fixed? Through hard work and know how. No substitutes!
My name Siosiua Vete and I am a 9th grader at Fremont High.I strongly oppose shutting down these schools because of the stakeholders of this situation.Many parents will have to find another school and find a way for transportation to the school(To remind you, some families don’t have/can’t afford transportation).Many teachers will also lose they’re job as well as money.Some teachers also have very close relationships to these students as if they were another parent.The staff at these schools will be forced to look for another job and and some may not be able to find another job(leading to multiple casualties such as homelessness ).In the past 18 years,All of the schools(in Oakland) that were forced to shut down were populated with about over 50% of Black and Latinx students.My main statement is that this will cause a problem to these kids’ futures and may leave many people jobless.I will say,if you do agree to vote on closing these schools,you will affect the lives of many!
My name is Samol, I'm a 9th grader of fremont. I think we should not shut down the schools, as it will harm the students, they will be forced to go somewhere far and wont be able to get what they need and this is targeted towards mostly black students which is unfair to them plus there is no good reason to shut them down cause they make money off of the students. I support the Reparations for Black Students resolution.
This is an extremely short-sighted move. The board should exist to protect children's right to quality education - shutting their schools down is doing the opposite. I am writing on behalf of the many supporting the Reparations for Black Students Campaign. Conduct an equity analysis to reach a fair and just solution. No harm would be done by delaying the vote to conduct this analysis. A majority of the schools targets for closure are 48% or more Black. That's over 1300 black students affected by this proposal. OUSD ended the last school year with a budget surplus with plenty in reserve. AND still has unused covid relief funds. This act of violence against our children and these neighborhoods in the name of fiscal responsibility is perpetuating the harm that's been done for generations against BIPOC folk. Do better. Be better.
You literally KNOW this school closure plan will disproportionately affect black and brown communities…and that blatant racism like this has no place in the game. You are supposed to be working to eradicate systemic injustices, not create them! Do NOT displace students of color, burden their quality education, and put more stress on their families. This merging and closure plan won't even save that much money. I beg you not to go through with this plan. Look at the outrage it's caused. At least two teachers (one of them a close friend of mine) are STARVING to death because they're so passionate about their students. Please do the right thing for Oakland NOW.
I oppose the pending resolution to close schools without engaging the community in a transparent process, presenting concrete proof that passed school closures resulted in substantial savings, doing a detailed equity analysis so that Black and Brown communities do not continue to suffer from school closures, and examining other ways to achieve savings. We have 47 administrators making over 200,000 K a year. In 2018, we had 17. Is it conscionable to inflict harm on Black and Brown communities while giving raises to administrators? The school board is responsible for the proliferation of charter schools, draining resources from district run schools and damaging communities in East and West Oakland disproportionately. It is time for a full examination of all of this, not a rushed decision to close more schools. It is obvious you do not have the support of the community in going through with this resolution. Please stop now.
I am a teacher at Madison Park Upper campus and neighbor in Brookfield. I strongly oppose the closure of our neighborhood elementary school, Brookfield Elementary, and all the proposed school closures. Closing Brookfield Elementary would displace 154 students, almost all low-income students of color, to MPA Lower Campus, Esperanza or other options even further away which all require a 20-30 minute walk across 98th Ave. Clearly student safety was not considered in proposing these closures! Trying to rush through these closures without community input and consultation is going to lead to unsafe commutes for kids all over the district. Historically, school closures have disproportionately displaced low-income students of color WITHOUT leading to a better education for the displaced students OR saving the district money.
As the parent of a former OUSD student, retired teacher, and past President of OEA, I have seen the effect of school closures over a span of nearly 40 years and it isn't pretty. School closures do NOT save a substantial amount of money; what they DO do is to disrupt communities, drive families out of OUSD and into charter schools, and traumatize children who have already been deeply affected by the pandemic. This is a short-sighted move (I refuse to say solution), done without community input, and destined to cause even more turmoil in an already chaotic situation. NO MORE SCHOOL CLOSURES!
Do not merge these schools. It will devastate the communities these students are part of as well as the well-being of their teachers. Instead, draw funding from the absolutely overblown OPD budget and properly invest resources in Oakland communities. This is proposal is very clearly racist and abhorrent.
We cannot move forward with these closures without proper community engagement. I urge OUSD to explore other options for cost savings that do not close schools, particularly schools where Black students would be disproportionately affected.
Don’t close our schools!!!
I oppose the closure of so many neighborhood schools that serve low-income students and students of color
The short time between the release of selected schools and Board vote, with total disregard for those most affected to be a part of the planning process, is unethical and violates OUSD’s own Equity, Community Engagement and Reparations for Black Students policies. It is an ill conceived plan which disproportionately harms Black and Brown communities. As a community member and part of an organization that has been deeply embedded in the Prescott community and a part of schools throughout Oakland, we know the ways our schools anchor our communities through their educational, cultural, familial, and social assets. Closing Prescott and our other sister schools unravels pivotal centers that help to keep our communities in tact on so many levels. Look to the studies on placemaking, belonging, and equity and understand that there ARE ways we can keep our schools open and generate more money for the district. Stop putting short sighted capital over human lives. OPPOSE this Resolution.
I oppose to closing schools because many students won’t have them close enough to go and will affect their families also closing schools that have the majority of black students isn’t right.
Closing these schools would be a testament to the inability of the board to plan, to learn from their own history of school closures, and to care for the children of Oakland and the future of Oakland. As a Pediatrician here, I care for the kids of Oakland for less pay then the superintendent, as do all the teachers. The need to consolidate schools is understandable, but closing one and hoping they travel, rather than returning to the same building that will likely become a charter school based on the history of 77% of ousd closed schools becoming charter schools, is really wishful thinking. Under enrollment and too many schools is not a new problem, you had years to build a lovely new school for these students between 2 sites and then sell of those sites. The Raiders didn’t take seasons off waiting for their new stadium in Vegas. Build it first.
California has 31 thousand million extra dollars in the budget it has to spend this year to not break the law, may the governor could help.
My name is Eric and I go to Fremont high school and I think they should close schools because people will have to go to schools where you have to pay and some people don’t have that money
We need Oakland schools for kids to band together and make a change
I oppose closing the predominantly African American schools. Don't you know how this looks to us? Instead of putting money and super teachers into Oakland schools you are just closing and hoping the problems will get fixed. Don't you know how problems get fixed? Through hard work and know how. No substitutes!
My name Siosiua Vete and I am a 9th grader at Fremont High.I strongly oppose shutting down these schools because of the stakeholders of this situation.Many parents will have to find another school and find a way for transportation to the school(To remind you, some families don’t have/can’t afford transportation).Many teachers will also lose they’re job as well as money.Some teachers also have very close relationships to these students as if they were another parent.The staff at these schools will be forced to look for another job and and some may not be able to find another job(leading to multiple casualties such as homelessness ).In the past 18 years,All of the schools(in Oakland) that were forced to shut down were populated with about over 50% of Black and Latinx students.My main statement is that this will cause a problem to these kids’ futures and may leave many people jobless.I will say,if you do agree to vote on closing these schools,you will affect the lives of many!
My name is Samol, I'm a 9th grader of fremont. I think we should not shut down the schools, as it will harm the students, they will be forced to go somewhere far and wont be able to get what they need and this is targeted towards mostly black students which is unfair to them plus there is no good reason to shut them down cause they make money off of the students. I support the Reparations for Black Students resolution.
This is an extremely short-sighted move. The board should exist to protect children's right to quality education - shutting their schools down is doing the opposite. I am writing on behalf of the many supporting the Reparations for Black Students Campaign. Conduct an equity analysis to reach a fair and just solution. No harm would be done by delaying the vote to conduct this analysis. A majority of the schools targets for closure are 48% or more Black. That's over 1300 black students affected by this proposal. OUSD ended the last school year with a budget surplus with plenty in reserve. AND still has unused covid relief funds. This act of violence against our children and these neighborhoods in the name of fiscal responsibility is perpetuating the harm that's been done for generations against BIPOC folk. Do better. Be better.
You literally KNOW this school closure plan will disproportionately affect black and brown communities…and that blatant racism like this has no place in the game. You are supposed to be working to eradicate systemic injustices, not create them! Do NOT displace students of color, burden their quality education, and put more stress on their families. This merging and closure plan won't even save that much money. I beg you not to go through with this plan. Look at the outrage it's caused. At least two teachers (one of them a close friend of mine) are STARVING to death because they're so passionate about their students. Please do the right thing for Oakland NOW.
Schools should not close because students need their education.
I think it's racist to force black students to go to different schools
Keep communities together