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
My name is Melina and I oppose that we should close down the schools. This seems racist because they are targeting black/poc neighborhoods during BLACK HISTORY MONTH. This is totally unfair for the students and families. If OUSD closes down these schools these people from those community will have to resort to another school probably that’s nowhere near their neighborhood. OUSD cannot and should not close down these schools because it is totally unfair and should never even been considered.
Oppose. Please do not shut down theses school because but shutting these schools down your stopping kids from learning. Your stopping them at having a chance at a good future. Don’t let these kids become another statistic.
My name is Maria. And I oppose to the school closures because some schools are closer to students home and also we might have younger siblings who are the ones that need school the most and it is really unfair
I'm the parent of an incoming kindergarten student and a community member in East Oakland, and I strongly oppose the proposal to close or merge multiple majority-Black schools. Two of the schools I listed in the OUSD enrollment application for my daughter are on the closure list. This plan was made with zero community engagement, and it harms all of us who want to see our kids and our community thrive. This is not what equity looks like. Don't cut costs by uprooting and taking resources away from kids of color.
Oppose school closures. Making long-term decisions based upon pandemic enrollment numbers doesn't make a ton of sense. OUSD's average school size if very close to San Francisco's. Costs will be shifted to families who need to spend additional travel time and resources getting to schools outside of their neighborhoods. From what I can gather from the documentation, the largest cost savings seem to come from reducing principal and clerical staff head counts, which can be addressed in other ways. The overall impact to the budget isn't all that substantial, while the impact to many families will be. As a parent of a student at Hillcrest, closing the best-performing middle school in your district seems like a shortsighted move, especially considering that it is not expected to positively impact the budget.
HI, I'm Rev. Millie Phillips, an organizer for the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy. I live in District 1 in the Bushrod neighborhood. I am appalled that so many families, especially those who are already facing discrimination based on race or income, are facing the stress and hardship of potential school closings. My late husband was a teacher in the Oakland public schools and I know how important it is to build engaged school communities for children to thrive, which requires stability. As a minister and organizer, I pray you listen to your constituents and do not close any schools. I join many others in demanding: No school closures! No decisions without full engagement and approval by those impacted, especially Black and Brown families and lower-income families!
I oppose this resolution for the following reason (taken directly from OUSD's Reparations for Black Students Resolution that was adopted nearly one year ago):
"For decades, Black students and families have experienced significant barriers and anti‐Black racist structures in OUSD schools, and have
suffered from a lack of investment in their success. Over the last twenty years, through school closures in Black neighborhoods and the
gentrification it has spurred, the over‐criminalization of Black youth, and the failure to adequately resource schools serving Black families, two‐
thirds of Black students have been forced out of the District. Black children in OUSD have faced the greatest obstacles and have been granted
inadequate resources to allow them to thrive."
Schools on the list have not been provided the support and resources they need to address the challenges of low enrollment. Please focus on the actions set forth in the Reparations Resolution and not on closing these schools.
NO SCHOOL CLOSURES - YOUR OAKLAND COMMUNITY DOES NOT WANT THIS
The flimsy recommendation from the district - done quickly as a result of the board's extremely short timeline - is full of holes. There has been no equity analysis as recommended by the State of California. The projections publicly presented to support the school closures plan has not been offered to the community with adequate time to vet. There has been no presentation on the financial impact of the slate of previous school closures that have been done in OUSD since 2012. There is country-wide data that shows that school closures do not save school districts money. There has been insufficient considering of students, parents, teachers who are still suffering the ongoing trauma of the pandemic's impact on health and our economy. This will cause irreparable harm to our students and families are least able to withstand the increase in financial, educational and emotional hardship.
Save Oakland schools from closures, mergers, etc. This plan is rushed, not well thought out, and effects mostly students of color and those in schools below 580. No one welcoming school is above the Mac Arthur freeway. It clearly is designed to support the myth that white hill schools provide a better education and that inconveniencing poor children and/or children of color is of no consequence. The community deserves a better plan, vote no, and come up with something the community can be engaged with.
My name is Melina and I oppose that we should close down the schools. This seems racist because they are targeting black/poc neighborhoods during BLACK HISTORY MONTH. This is totally unfair for the students and families. If OUSD closes down these schools these people from those community will have to resort to another school probably that’s nowhere near their neighborhood. OUSD cannot and should not close down these schools because it is totally unfair and should never even been considered.
No to school cuts and closures. School closures are an injustice to our communities.
Keep school open because this is u fair for students and this targets out students which isn’t good
Keep schools opens in a student this is unfair
This not fair , it’s not gonna help anything besides students not getting their education they need.
Oppose. Please do not shut down theses school because but shutting these schools down your stopping kids from learning. Your stopping them at having a chance at a good future. Don’t let these kids become another statistic.
My name is Maria. And I oppose to the school closures because some schools are closer to students home and also we might have younger siblings who are the ones that need school the most and it is really unfair
Keep the schools open! Redistribute more money into “low performing schools”
I'm the parent of an incoming kindergarten student and a community member in East Oakland, and I strongly oppose the proposal to close or merge multiple majority-Black schools. Two of the schools I listed in the OUSD enrollment application for my daughter are on the closure list. This plan was made with zero community engagement, and it harms all of us who want to see our kids and our community thrive. This is not what equity looks like. Don't cut costs by uprooting and taking resources away from kids of color.
Do not close these schools which serve majority Black and brown students and families. Listen to the people!!!
Oppose school closures. Making long-term decisions based upon pandemic enrollment numbers doesn't make a ton of sense. OUSD's average school size if very close to San Francisco's. Costs will be shifted to families who need to spend additional travel time and resources getting to schools outside of their neighborhoods. From what I can gather from the documentation, the largest cost savings seem to come from reducing principal and clerical staff head counts, which can be addressed in other ways. The overall impact to the budget isn't all that substantial, while the impact to many families will be. As a parent of a student at Hillcrest, closing the best-performing middle school in your district seems like a shortsighted move, especially considering that it is not expected to positively impact the budget.
HI, I'm Rev. Millie Phillips, an organizer for the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy. I live in District 1 in the Bushrod neighborhood. I am appalled that so many families, especially those who are already facing discrimination based on race or income, are facing the stress and hardship of potential school closings. My late husband was a teacher in the Oakland public schools and I know how important it is to build engaged school communities for children to thrive, which requires stability. As a minister and organizer, I pray you listen to your constituents and do not close any schools. I join many others in demanding: No school closures! No decisions without full engagement and approval by those impacted, especially Black and Brown families and lower-income families!
I oppose this resolution for the following reason (taken directly from OUSD's Reparations for Black Students Resolution that was adopted nearly one year ago):
"For decades, Black students and families have experienced significant barriers and anti‐Black racist structures in OUSD schools, and have
suffered from a lack of investment in their success. Over the last twenty years, through school closures in Black neighborhoods and the
gentrification it has spurred, the over‐criminalization of Black youth, and the failure to adequately resource schools serving Black families, two‐
thirds of Black students have been forced out of the District. Black children in OUSD have faced the greatest obstacles and have been granted
inadequate resources to allow them to thrive."
Schools on the list have not been provided the support and resources they need to address the challenges of low enrollment. Please focus on the actions set forth in the Reparations Resolution and not on closing these schools.
Oppose. Don’t shut out students of color. This action will reverberate through generations.
Keep the schools open!
NO SCHOOL CLOSURES - YOUR OAKLAND COMMUNITY DOES NOT WANT THIS
The flimsy recommendation from the district - done quickly as a result of the board's extremely short timeline - is full of holes. There has been no equity analysis as recommended by the State of California. The projections publicly presented to support the school closures plan has not been offered to the community with adequate time to vet. There has been no presentation on the financial impact of the slate of previous school closures that have been done in OUSD since 2012. There is country-wide data that shows that school closures do not save school districts money. There has been insufficient considering of students, parents, teachers who are still suffering the ongoing trauma of the pandemic's impact on health and our economy. This will cause irreparable harm to our students and families are least able to withstand the increase in financial, educational and emotional hardship.
Save Oakland schools from closures, mergers, etc. This plan is rushed, not well thought out, and effects mostly students of color and those in schools below 580. No one welcoming school is above the Mac Arthur freeway. It clearly is designed to support the myth that white hill schools provide a better education and that inconveniencing poor children and/or children of color is of no consequence. The community deserves a better plan, vote no, and come up with something the community can be engaged with.
Don't close school
Schools don’t deserve to be shut down
No cierren las escuelas!!! Las necesitamos abierta para los niños de Oakland.