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
The timeline from when the list of schools was released to when the Board is to vote on the closures is appallingly short and unrealistic for any kind of strategic or thoughtful planning and grossly lacks time for meaningful engagement with these communities.
The Board adopted a policy that requires an Equity Impact Analysis to be completed prior to closing schools. This analysis has not been completed. It is not clear that OUSD has adequately considered alternatives to closures. Nationwide studies have shown school closures do not save money nor do they improve outcomes for impacted students. Please pause this process to allow for a more meaningful and equitable outcome, including: Completing an Equity Impact Analysis and making adjustments to the proposal based on the findings, taking the time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure their needs will be met.
NO CUTS/NO CLOSURES FOR OUR SCHOOLS! This is not fair to low income families or our black and brown communities. The whole topic has had our children, parents, and community under so much stress. The Board of Education has not been transparent with us nor shared what they plan to do with our schools. All that’s been talked about is the money that will be “saved” and the plan to move our children into other communities in which they DO NOT feel safe in. PURE GENTRIFICATION!
In addition to the disruption of learning and friendship networks, which has a documented effect on kids' learning, ome students who can currently walk to school would have to pay one or two bus fares in each direction to get to a new school if these closures pass. That's a non-trivial cost to expect children to pay on a daily basis.
Hello, my name is Dennis Fagaly, for the past 31 years I’ve lived in Adam’s Point here in Oakland. I currently serve on the board of First Congregational Church of Oakland and the board of Genesis of the East Bay. I ask you to vote down Resolution No. 2122-0030 as it stands, closing schools in an unjust manner. I call on the Board to conduct an Equity analysis to reach a fair and just solution. It is clear that the District would not be harmed by delaying this vote and conducting an Equity analysis. As a faith leader, and on behalf of the multitude of faith leaders and institutions throughout the city of Oakland, I stand in solidarity with FAME. Any privilege I may have has no value or meaning if I don’t use it to further justice and equity for Oakland youth. I retired from teaching high school science in Oakland, and I call on OUSD to recommit to working with the Reparations Task Force to create the racial equity impact analysis BEFORE any vote is taken. Respectfully, Dennis Fagaly
I am reaching to express serious concerns about the hasty plan to close and/or merge so many schools within OUSD in the coming months. The current proposal and process is unjust and negligent for the following reasons:
Clearly low income Black and Brown students will be affected.
There is no evidence closing schools saves district money
There is much evidence that small schools benefit learning.
I am asking for your help to ensure that this cursory process is paused to allow for a more meaningful and equitable outcome, including:
Completing an Equity Impact Analysis and making adjustments to the proposal based on the findings.
Taking the time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure their needs will be met.
I recognize OUSD needs to take dramatic action to stabilize our district’s finances, but I urge for the process and timeline to be reconsidered.
As we are supposedly trying to addresss the stark racial disparities that Oakland has been put on the map for, closing predominantly brown and black schools will certainly work to widen that gap unless you are going to also start a school
Bussing program. How about closing some schools in the hills and spread the kids there out to the flats? Is it because they are predominantly white schools? We need to make it easier to educate our black and brown children not more challenging! I stand insolidarity with the hunger strikers and OPPOSE all school closures until a more quotable solution is found.
I oppose the school closures/merging. The harm of such actions will once again fall on our Black students and families, perpetuating decades of systemic injustice. This is not the way to address a budget issue, yielding little benefit in the face of so much pain, or maybe not any benefit at all given OUSD's track record. Center the well being of Oakland students, listen to your constituents, and do your job!
I oppose the hasty, short-sided, and inequitable proposal to close and/or merge so many schools so quickly. The list disproportionately impacts low-income students of color and students with special needs, includes an unrealistic timeline for community engagement and proper planning, and negligently lacks an Equity Impact Analysis.
I urge the Board to pause in order to accurately complete an Equity Impact Analysis and make adjustments based on those findings. Also, take the proper time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure needs will be met. Finally, it is not clear that OUSD has adequately considered alternatives to closures. Nationwide studies have shown school closures do not save money nor do they improve outcomes for impacted students.
Please pause these inequitable and negligent closures that lack a proper timeline.
The school closure proposal violates the California Environmental Quality Act. The Board cannot rely on Public Resources Code section 21080.18 because, among other things, it does not apply to projects that cause physical impacts that are not categorically exempt under CEQA. No categorical exemption applies to this proposal. Also, no categorical exemptions are allowed when an activity may have a significant effect on the environment due to “unusual circumstances” or “cumulative impacts.” Both are present here due to the number and type of schools affected, which will result in direct physical impacts on the environment. For example, the elimination of neighborhood schools requires additional and longer vehicle trips to schools that are farther away. This would also violate the City’s sustainability and climate change policies. Neighborhood schools are good for the students, good for the community and good for the environment. NO SCHOOL CLOSURES.
I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and am strongly opposed to OUSD’s attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our Black students. This board has failed to engage the community tonight's decision will impact nor has the board conducted a necessary equity impact analysis. 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. Hands off our schools! No to school closures!
I have been a teacher, coach, etc for 25 yrs at Brookfield Elementary and we are tired of being terrorized every year with the threat of school closures. This has been happening for the past decade and has had an adverse effect on student learning. We've been sabotaged and starved for resources and support and despite that, we always seem to make large improvements and growth according to the data you provide us. Despite being neglected, we have gone out on our own to create the school we want for our community. we build a whole entire forest to combat the pollution from the freeway and airport (which boarder our campus). We have build a huge vegetable garden and a fruit Orchard for our community. This past year we got $100k from the NBA to build a STEM lab for our students and less than a year since it's creation, you want close it and take the equipment and tech that WE earned for our community. It is truly shameful. If this passes, you can no longer claim to be serving children.
I am a tax payer and voter with a son in special education at Grass Valley. I am NOT in support of closing schools and urge the board to look for another solution. Displacing students will have long term mental distress on kids especially those with special needs.
Do not punish our kids due to the administration's mismanagement if funds to pay their salaries and rent for buildings that remain empty.
I have written emails to each school board member and NONE of those emails were responded to.
I am a resident of D2 and I strongly oppose the closure of any of our schools. Oakland's priorities are seriously out of order if the city can pass a 650 million dollar budget for increased policing but cannot raise funds to educate its children. Quality and community based education is public safety. Quality and community based education for our Black and Brown students is our future. No to school closures!
I am the parent of a disabled student in an SDC. I oppose the inequitable closure of schools in low-income neighborhoods, which will disproportionately impact Black and disabled students, who will be harmed if removed from stable communities and their special education programs dismantled. We can expect teacher flight, aggravating a teacher shortage, especially in special education. With space at a premium, we will see an increase in multi-grade SDCs, hindering the ability of teachers to teach at grade level. SDC students deserve the same access to grade level academics as their Gen Ed peers, whose teachers oppose multi-grade classes. There is a false narrative of increased "access/quality" for students; No data has been provided on the impact to students in moderate-severe SDCs. How will growth of multi-grade SDCs be prevented? What disability types will be most impacted? The Board must pause closures to complete an Equity Impact Analysis and engage impacted communities in planning.
My name is Magali Ramirez, I am in 10th grade, I attend Fremont High School, and I am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am opposing school closures and consolidations because Many of us can’t afford to lose our only educational source that is near us. Taking away their schools and forcing them to start all over us another one that is farther away home is very cruel. Needing to adjust in another environment catching up with work and classmates. Many of their parent don’t have the time or money to afford the transportation what are they supposed to do? This all puts the students into many disadvantages.Black students should be set up for success by the district proving them more individual materials.Affording students with more diverse classes that give them more career options.Having Financial classes that would help them know how to maintain themself as a person. I demand that OUSD Vote NO on school closures and consolidations. Do the right thing and listen to the community.
The timeline from when the list of schools was released to when the Board is to vote on the closures is appallingly short and unrealistic for any kind of strategic or thoughtful planning and grossly lacks time for meaningful engagement with these communities.
The Board adopted a policy that requires an Equity Impact Analysis to be completed prior to closing schools. This analysis has not been completed. It is not clear that OUSD has adequately considered alternatives to closures. Nationwide studies have shown school closures do not save money nor do they improve outcomes for impacted students. Please pause this process to allow for a more meaningful and equitable outcome, including: Completing an Equity Impact Analysis and making adjustments to the proposal based on the findings, taking the time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure their needs will be met.
NO CUTS/NO CLOSURES FOR OUR SCHOOLS! This is not fair to low income families or our black and brown communities. The whole topic has had our children, parents, and community under so much stress. The Board of Education has not been transparent with us nor shared what they plan to do with our schools. All that’s been talked about is the money that will be “saved” and the plan to move our children into other communities in which they DO NOT feel safe in. PURE GENTRIFICATION!
Closing schools is going to actively harm these communities, no to school closures.
In addition to the disruption of learning and friendship networks, which has a documented effect on kids' learning, ome students who can currently walk to school would have to pay one or two bus fares in each direction to get to a new school if these closures pass. That's a non-trivial cost to expect children to pay on a daily basis.
Hello, my name is Dennis Fagaly, for the past 31 years I’ve lived in Adam’s Point here in Oakland. I currently serve on the board of First Congregational Church of Oakland and the board of Genesis of the East Bay. I ask you to vote down Resolution No. 2122-0030 as it stands, closing schools in an unjust manner. I call on the Board to conduct an Equity analysis to reach a fair and just solution. It is clear that the District would not be harmed by delaying this vote and conducting an Equity analysis. As a faith leader, and on behalf of the multitude of faith leaders and institutions throughout the city of Oakland, I stand in solidarity with FAME. Any privilege I may have has no value or meaning if I don’t use it to further justice and equity for Oakland youth. I retired from teaching high school science in Oakland, and I call on OUSD to recommit to working with the Reparations Task Force to create the racial equity impact analysis BEFORE any vote is taken. Respectfully, Dennis Fagaly
Dear (Board Member/ Representative/etc.),
I am reaching to express serious concerns about the hasty plan to close and/or merge so many schools within OUSD in the coming months. The current proposal and process is unjust and negligent for the following reasons:
Clearly low income Black and Brown students will be affected.
There is no evidence closing schools saves district money
There is much evidence that small schools benefit learning.
I am asking for your help to ensure that this cursory process is paused to allow for a more meaningful and equitable outcome, including:
Completing an Equity Impact Analysis and making adjustments to the proposal based on the findings.
Taking the time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure their needs will be met.
I recognize OUSD needs to take dramatic action to stabilize our district’s finances, but I urge for the process and timeline to be reconsidered.
Merging schools will cause an even great inequity for Oakland youth. This is not the right option for students.
As we are supposedly trying to addresss the stark racial disparities that Oakland has been put on the map for, closing predominantly brown and black schools will certainly work to widen that gap unless you are going to also start a school
Bussing program. How about closing some schools in the hills and spread the kids there out to the flats? Is it because they are predominantly white schools? We need to make it easier to educate our black and brown children not more challenging! I stand insolidarity with the hunger strikers and OPPOSE all school closures until a more quotable solution is found.
I oppose the school closures/merging. The harm of such actions will once again fall on our Black students and families, perpetuating decades of systemic injustice. This is not the way to address a budget issue, yielding little benefit in the face of so much pain, or maybe not any benefit at all given OUSD's track record. Center the well being of Oakland students, listen to your constituents, and do your job!
Kids need their school, not to be closed down!
I oppose the hasty, short-sided, and inequitable proposal to close and/or merge so many schools so quickly. The list disproportionately impacts low-income students of color and students with special needs, includes an unrealistic timeline for community engagement and proper planning, and negligently lacks an Equity Impact Analysis.
I urge the Board to pause in order to accurately complete an Equity Impact Analysis and make adjustments based on those findings. Also, take the proper time to engage the impacted students and communities in the planning process to ensure needs will be met. Finally, it is not clear that OUSD has adequately considered alternatives to closures. Nationwide studies have shown school closures do not save money nor do they improve outcomes for impacted students.
Please pause these inequitable and negligent closures that lack a proper timeline.
The school closure proposal violates the California Environmental Quality Act. The Board cannot rely on Public Resources Code section 21080.18 because, among other things, it does not apply to projects that cause physical impacts that are not categorically exempt under CEQA. No categorical exemption applies to this proposal. Also, no categorical exemptions are allowed when an activity may have a significant effect on the environment due to “unusual circumstances” or “cumulative impacts.” Both are present here due to the number and type of schools affected, which will result in direct physical impacts on the environment. For example, the elimination of neighborhood schools requires additional and longer vehicle trips to schools that are farther away. This would also violate the City’s sustainability and climate change policies. Neighborhood schools are good for the students, good for the community and good for the environment. NO SCHOOL CLOSURES.
This is not in the best interest of our communities!
I am one of many supporters of the Reparations for Black Students Resolution and am strongly opposed to OUSD’s attempt to balance the budget on the backs of our Black students. This board has failed to engage the community tonight's decision will impact nor has the board conducted a necessary equity impact analysis. 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. Hands off our schools! No to school closures!
I have been a teacher, coach, etc for 25 yrs at Brookfield Elementary and we are tired of being terrorized every year with the threat of school closures. This has been happening for the past decade and has had an adverse effect on student learning. We've been sabotaged and starved for resources and support and despite that, we always seem to make large improvements and growth according to the data you provide us. Despite being neglected, we have gone out on our own to create the school we want for our community. we build a whole entire forest to combat the pollution from the freeway and airport (which boarder our campus). We have build a huge vegetable garden and a fruit Orchard for our community. This past year we got $100k from the NBA to build a STEM lab for our students and less than a year since it's creation, you want close it and take the equipment and tech that WE earned for our community. It is truly shameful. If this passes, you can no longer claim to be serving children.
I am a tax payer and voter with a son in special education at Grass Valley. I am NOT in support of closing schools and urge the board to look for another solution. Displacing students will have long term mental distress on kids especially those with special needs.
Do not punish our kids due to the administration's mismanagement if funds to pay their salaries and rent for buildings that remain empty.
I have written emails to each school board member and NONE of those emails were responded to.
I am a resident of D2 and I strongly oppose the closure of any of our schools. Oakland's priorities are seriously out of order if the city can pass a 650 million dollar budget for increased policing but cannot raise funds to educate its children. Quality and community based education is public safety. Quality and community based education for our Black and Brown students is our future. No to school closures!
I am a tax payer, I want to help the youth of Oakland thrive
I am the parent of a disabled student in an SDC. I oppose the inequitable closure of schools in low-income neighborhoods, which will disproportionately impact Black and disabled students, who will be harmed if removed from stable communities and their special education programs dismantled. We can expect teacher flight, aggravating a teacher shortage, especially in special education. With space at a premium, we will see an increase in multi-grade SDCs, hindering the ability of teachers to teach at grade level. SDC students deserve the same access to grade level academics as their Gen Ed peers, whose teachers oppose multi-grade classes. There is a false narrative of increased "access/quality" for students; No data has been provided on the impact to students in moderate-severe SDCs. How will growth of multi-grade SDCs be prevented? What disability types will be most impacted? The Board must pause closures to complete an Equity Impact Analysis and engage impacted communities in planning.
My name is Magali Ramirez, I am in 10th grade, I attend Fremont High School, and I am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am opposing school closures and consolidations because Many of us can’t afford to lose our only educational source that is near us. Taking away their schools and forcing them to start all over us another one that is farther away home is very cruel. Needing to adjust in another environment catching up with work and classmates. Many of their parent don’t have the time or money to afford the transportation what are they supposed to do? This all puts the students into many disadvantages.Black students should be set up for success by the district proving them more individual materials.Affording students with more diverse classes that give them more career options.Having Financial classes that would help them know how to maintain themself as a person. I demand that OUSD Vote NO on school closures and consolidations. Do the right thing and listen to the community.