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 Rafael Pablo Calmo, I am in 10 grade, I attend Fremont High School, and I am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am opposing school closure and consolidation because It isn't for the money, the community attention, or to sacrifices/impacting every single students education just to obtain your need. This is wrong because students need knowledge and a education in order to find themselves a future, Another reason why this is wrong is that students aren't bags of money, they are innocent human beings, another reason why this is wrong is that there must be a another way to get everybody attention. Black student should be set up for success by the district providing/investing in opening schools near a area with the most Black community (everybody). I demand that OUSD vote No on school Closure and consolidations. Closing schools is wrong because Student's future matters a lot. Do the right thing and listen to the community.
(Students Matters), Sincerely Rafael.
I am a parent of two 6th grader students at Hillcrest Middle School. If the proposed OUSD school closures and mergers take place, my two 6th graders will have to be transferred to another middle school, so that their hopes and dreams of graduating from Hillcrest will be dashed. They have been at Hillcrest since the Kindergarten 7 years ago. We moved to the neighborhood just to be able to attend and have our children garduate from Hillcrest. This action is not fair to students, families, teachers, and to the whole community who put in thousands of volunteer hour time and money to improve our neighborhood school.
It is a shame that the California is ranked 5th largest economy by GDP in the world (ranked between 4th place Germany and the 5th place India), and CA cannot properly fund its public schools. This inability will come back and bite CA and the US in the future. Public schools are not 'FOR PROFIT" corporations. Trying to balance public education budget is a dangerous action.
As a parent of an elementary student at Crocker Highlands, 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.
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.
I implore members of the School Board to do the right thing and to vote NO on school closures. These closures were hastily conceived, poorly analyzed, and are undoubtedly (by Superintendent Johnson-Trammel's own admission) going to disproportionately harm low income Black communities. District official who are looking to save money should be making cuts from Central Office facilities and salaries, not from kids and families who have already suffered the trauma and instability of a two-year global pandemic. Studies show that school closures neither save money nor create better outcomes for students. Rather, they will cause an exodus of families who are either unwilling or unable to weather another round of injustice at the hands of the people tasked with serving Oakland's children.
I understand the goal of looking for cost savings. If OUSD had a better track record of school closures actually improving the quality of education, as a community we’d have more trust in this idea. OUSD needs to do a lot more to build credibility before doing something like this.
The district needs to do an ultra transparent project to really share the actual state of the budget and the options available to our community.
I oppose all school closures and consolidations from here on. The people have said: neighborhood school closures are unacceptable. The school board and the state need to find some other way to deal with the debt. Tell them to cancel the debt. The school closures in Oakland is part of a transparent trend across the nation to attack public education, just like what happened in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. OUSD did this before in 2012 and 2018, and you have no way to show that the school closures then did anything good for the community, because it didn't. You cannot defund public education for the past 20+ years and then turn around and say that the students in public schools are "underperforming" and that's why you need to close them to save your budget deficit. Find some other way to balance the budget. Two workers at Westlake Middle School have been on hunger strike for the kids and the families. How could you let it come to this? We will not go down without a fight.
As an OUSD parent, I urge this board to vote against the proposed closures, mergers, and consolidations. These plans are a deplorable attempt at redlining under the guise of 'fiscal responsibility', the product of cynical, austerity-shocked thinking. Please listen to your constituents and especially to those whose school communities you are threatening and vote NO.
These children face so many challenges. How dare OUSD try to close their schools, further damaging the fabric of these communities and childrens futures. Closing schools is NOT the answer to solving budget mismanagement. Shame on you, OUSD for perpetuating the class and race divide in Oakland.
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. 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!
Sincerely,
Amanda Martin
Parent of kindergartner at Laurel Elementary
I vehemently oppose the closing of schools. They are all essential for the healthy growth of children and community, providing irreplaceable resources to families, and invaluable jobs to educators.
I'm opposed to closing any of these schools. This would present a great loss of infrastructure, access, relationships, safety and stability for neighborhoods and communities already facing disproportionate obstacles. Please, carefully assess the equity impacts of this proposal. You can find a way to support Oakland's students and teachers, rather than asking them now to give up these spaces, or to find ways to contribute and reach their aspirations in unfamiliar learning environments, with larger classes and longer commutes. Closing campuses is easier than building them and not so easily undone. Show us an Oakland that knows how to honor Black History Month.
I'm a parents of la Escuelita please do not close Middle school ,We love la Escuelita like it's right now stop worrying for the money worry for the Education ..
I oppose the closure of these schools. As a Bay Area native I am ashamed that the Oakland school district is considering closing schools that serve low income neighborhoods and people of color. Please keep the schools open.
My name is Rafael Pablo Calmo, I am in 10 grade, I attend Fremont High School, and I am a youth organizer with Oakland Kids First. I am opposing school closure and consolidation because It isn't for the money, the community attention, or to sacrifices/impacting every single students education just to obtain your need. This is wrong because students need knowledge and a education in order to find themselves a future, Another reason why this is wrong is that students aren't bags of money, they are innocent human beings, another reason why this is wrong is that there must be a another way to get everybody attention. Black student should be set up for success by the district providing/investing in opening schools near a area with the most Black community (everybody). I demand that OUSD vote No on school Closure and consolidations. Closing schools is wrong because Student's future matters a lot. Do the right thing and listen to the community.
(Students Matters), Sincerely Rafael.
As a small business owner in Oakland for 20 years,I oppose the shut down of schools in Oakland!
I oppose the closing of badly needed Oakland schools/
I am a parent of two 6th grader students at Hillcrest Middle School. If the proposed OUSD school closures and mergers take place, my two 6th graders will have to be transferred to another middle school, so that their hopes and dreams of graduating from Hillcrest will be dashed. They have been at Hillcrest since the Kindergarten 7 years ago. We moved to the neighborhood just to be able to attend and have our children garduate from Hillcrest. This action is not fair to students, families, teachers, and to the whole community who put in thousands of volunteer hour time and money to improve our neighborhood school.
It is a shame that the California is ranked 5th largest economy by GDP in the world (ranked between 4th place Germany and the 5th place India), and CA cannot properly fund its public schools. This inability will come back and bite CA and the US in the future. Public schools are not 'FOR PROFIT" corporations. Trying to balance public education budget is a dangerous action.
As a parent of an elementary student at Crocker Highlands, 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.
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.
I oppose closing these schools!
I implore members of the School Board to do the right thing and to vote NO on school closures. These closures were hastily conceived, poorly analyzed, and are undoubtedly (by Superintendent Johnson-Trammel's own admission) going to disproportionately harm low income Black communities. District official who are looking to save money should be making cuts from Central Office facilities and salaries, not from kids and families who have already suffered the trauma and instability of a two-year global pandemic. Studies show that school closures neither save money nor create better outcomes for students. Rather, they will cause an exodus of families who are either unwilling or unable to weather another round of injustice at the hands of the people tasked with serving Oakland's children.
I understand the goal of looking for cost savings. If OUSD had a better track record of school closures actually improving the quality of education, as a community we’d have more trust in this idea. OUSD needs to do a lot more to build credibility before doing something like this.
The district needs to do an ultra transparent project to really share the actual state of the budget and the options available to our community.
Please hold off from such drastic action.
I oppose all school closures and consolidations from here on. The people have said: neighborhood school closures are unacceptable. The school board and the state need to find some other way to deal with the debt. Tell them to cancel the debt. The school closures in Oakland is part of a transparent trend across the nation to attack public education, just like what happened in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. OUSD did this before in 2012 and 2018, and you have no way to show that the school closures then did anything good for the community, because it didn't. You cannot defund public education for the past 20+ years and then turn around and say that the students in public schools are "underperforming" and that's why you need to close them to save your budget deficit. Find some other way to balance the budget. Two workers at Westlake Middle School have been on hunger strike for the kids and the families. How could you let it come to this? We will not go down without a fight.
As an OUSD parent, I urge this board to vote against the proposed closures, mergers, and consolidations. These plans are a deplorable attempt at redlining under the guise of 'fiscal responsibility', the product of cynical, austerity-shocked thinking. Please listen to your constituents and especially to those whose school communities you are threatening and vote NO.
Don't be fools! Don't close the schools!
These children face so many challenges. How dare OUSD try to close their schools, further damaging the fabric of these communities and childrens futures. Closing schools is NOT the answer to solving budget mismanagement. Shame on you, OUSD for perpetuating the class and race divide in Oakland.
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. 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!
Sincerely,
Amanda Martin
Parent of kindergartner at Laurel Elementary
Don't close the schools.
School closures that disproportionately impact students of color are racist and wrong. Do not close these schools.
I vehemently oppose the closing of schools. They are all essential for the healthy growth of children and community, providing irreplaceable resources to families, and invaluable jobs to educators.
I'm opposed to closing any of these schools. This would present a great loss of infrastructure, access, relationships, safety and stability for neighborhoods and communities already facing disproportionate obstacles. Please, carefully assess the equity impacts of this proposal. You can find a way to support Oakland's students and teachers, rather than asking them now to give up these spaces, or to find ways to contribute and reach their aspirations in unfamiliar learning environments, with larger classes and longer commutes. Closing campuses is easier than building them and not so easily undone. Show us an Oakland that knows how to honor Black History Month.
I'm a parents of la Escuelita please do not close Middle school ,We love la Escuelita like it's right now stop worrying for the money worry for the Education ..
I oppose the closure of these schools. As a Bay Area native I am ashamed that the Oakland school district is considering closing schools that serve low income neighborhoods and people of color. Please keep the schools open.