I support NO school closures not just a postponement. You are just delaying the fight. The community is behind these school, and they should be. Postpone for now but be ready for this again in 22-23 if you all persist with this blatant racist privatization of our public schools.
Pausing what has been a truly unjust and harmful process is a first step - whatever decisions happen next need to be made with full community engagement, must prioritize the needs of all of Oakland’s children, and the process needs to be much more truthful and transparent. Halt the privatization, charters, schools as real estate, bloated administrative spending. Resource, repair and renew our schools with the vision, insight and leadership from the people most impacted, the families, school workers and communities. Our children are our hope and future.
This is a first step in undoing the harm towards Black and Brown communities but more work needs to be done. Listen to the needs of the community and put a moratorium on school closures. They do irreparable harm. Stop hiring consultants, stop paying administrative staff 4x more what teachers make, stop spending rent on 1000 Broadway and cut out the waste all together. INVEST in students and education instead of closing schools. Come up with alternative solutions to save money instead of causing more harm and trauma to communities that are of the greatest need. No schools should be closed - period.
Please vote yes on this amendment and save Moses and Andre’s lives. Show that you elected officials can actually hear and listen to the community. Protect black and brown children !!
Delaying the closures is a good first step toward overturning this resolution and ending school closures as a practice in OUSD. Fully fund our schools and repair our facilities. Stop accepting new charters in OUSD, end the lease at 1000 Broadway, and eliminate high level administrative positions instead of closing schools.
I strongly support that the Board of Education of OUSD vote to POSTPONE school closures. I strongly support that the Board of Education of OUSD eventually WILL NOT close or merge ANY schools.
I support this amendment to delay the closure of any school until at least the end of next school year.
Closing these schools is an abdication of our moral and social duty to provide all students of Oakland with a public education. With these school sites closed students will be forced to leave their communities, possibly commuting significant distances to attend school. Looking at the demographics of these schools along with the map is an echo of redlining. OUSD cannot allow students of color at schools that serve a disproportionate number of children living in poverty shoulder the burden of the districts financial woes.
We as a community can do hard things. In this case, doing the hard thing is digging in and figuring out how we, as a district, as a community, can best serve the students at these schools currently on the closure list.
Giving students whose current school works for them an additional year of stability to sort out how to adapt to the planned closures and mergers is frankly the least the Board can do. If the additional year this measure offers gives the community an opportunity to engage further and find a solution that does not require closures, so much the better.
I am strongly AGAINST ALL school closures but support the amendment postponing this decision to 2022-2023. I demand that OUSD engages with community and that the community is involved in conversations and in decision making processes
Small schools are more supportive for our students and all of the Board's decisions should be made based on what's best for our students. I support this amendment because more time is needed to hear public comment on this very disruptive move. Working families need schools that are near their homes. Students need stability during this very unstable time. Please vote to at least postpone school closures.
Thank you.
Loraine Woodard, Teacher
Oakland International High School
I support the board doing everything in their power to keep schools open. The school closures are a farce: they are not financially responsible, they are unnecessary and are not the way to serve OUSD students. Attempting to close schools during a pandemic year is even worse. Delaying consideration of closures for at least one more year will help, but ultimately the board needs to do what is right and keep all schools open.
I support this amendment to delay the closure of any school until at least the end of next school year. While opposed to any of these closures due to the lack of any community involvement in the DECISION making process, at least this gives all communities time to make plans.
I am against all school closures! However in the meantime, pushing closures back one year is a step in the right direction because half of the school board members that are pushing for this plan will no longer be in office next year.
Postponing school closures is a start, but all closures should ultimately be taken off the table. OUSD’s plan to close or merge 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.
As a parent of a student in the OUSD system, I do not support this rushed, ill-conceived school closure plan presented by the district without community input, a DEI analysis, and a factual, independent financial analysis impacting the children, communities, faculty and staff members affected. I do, however, support this amendment to Resolution No. 2122-0030 to postpone ANY school closures until—at least—the next academic year, 2023-2024.
I support the move to delay these school closures based on (1) the apparent performative nature of your passing the Reparations for Black Students Resolution less than a year ago and then repealing the key elements requiring community engagement and an equity analysis performed collaboratively with the Reparations Task Force, (2) the perpetuation of classism, racism, and ableism in the choices of schools for closure, (3) the lack of humanity displayed by the above choices and adding trauma to families during an ongoing pandemic, (4) the lack of fiscal transparency, and (5) the lack of analysis of cost savings or enhanced educational outcomes realized from any of the MANY past school closures. I hope that moving forward the State, County, District, and School Board will be more honest, humble, transparent, and collaborative with the communities and constituents they serve.
As a parent at Manzanita Seed, I strongly support the amendment to postpone any school closures until 2023-2024. Closing a school can disrupt children's education and derail their learning; it can also be devastating to communities who depend on schools for after care, food distribution and more. Even putting schools on a potential closure list can be shocking and disruptive to families. No decision like this should be made hastily without robust community input, a careful racial equity impact analysis, and an independent financial impact analysis. Please support this amendment now to postpone any closures - and please oppose school closures in the future. Oakland needs our schools.
As a parent and a teacher in OUSD and as a member of the first Blueprint Advisory committee I support the postponement of schools closures until the 2022-2023 school year to give adequate time to engage communities, gauge the impact on students, and give time to thoroughly go over this plan. Let's not move too quickly in a decision as important as this.
While I don't support school closures, I support postponing this decision to 2022-2023. We don't need this right now and we need to focus on stability.
I support NO school closures not just a postponement. You are just delaying the fight. The community is behind these school, and they should be. Postpone for now but be ready for this again in 22-23 if you all persist with this blatant racist privatization of our public schools.
Pausing what has been a truly unjust and harmful process is a first step - whatever decisions happen next need to be made with full community engagement, must prioritize the needs of all of Oakland’s children, and the process needs to be much more truthful and transparent. Halt the privatization, charters, schools as real estate, bloated administrative spending. Resource, repair and renew our schools with the vision, insight and leadership from the people most impacted, the families, school workers and communities. Our children are our hope and future.
This is a first step in undoing the harm towards Black and Brown communities but more work needs to be done. Listen to the needs of the community and put a moratorium on school closures. They do irreparable harm. Stop hiring consultants, stop paying administrative staff 4x more what teachers make, stop spending rent on 1000 Broadway and cut out the waste all together. INVEST in students and education instead of closing schools. Come up with alternative solutions to save money instead of causing more harm and trauma to communities that are of the greatest need. No schools should be closed - period.
No school closures!!!
Please vote yes on this amendment and save Moses and Andre’s lives. Show that you elected officials can actually hear and listen to the community. Protect black and brown children !!
Delaying the closures is a good first step toward overturning this resolution and ending school closures as a practice in OUSD. Fully fund our schools and repair our facilities. Stop accepting new charters in OUSD, end the lease at 1000 Broadway, and eliminate high level administrative positions instead of closing schools.
I support the postponement of all school closures. No school should be closed!
I strongly support that the Board of Education of OUSD vote to POSTPONE school closures. I strongly support that the Board of Education of OUSD eventually WILL NOT close or merge ANY schools.
I support this amendment to delay the closure of any school until at least the end of next school year.
Closing these schools is an abdication of our moral and social duty to provide all students of Oakland with a public education. With these school sites closed students will be forced to leave their communities, possibly commuting significant distances to attend school. Looking at the demographics of these schools along with the map is an echo of redlining. OUSD cannot allow students of color at schools that serve a disproportionate number of children living in poverty shoulder the burden of the districts financial woes.
We as a community can do hard things. In this case, doing the hard thing is digging in and figuring out how we, as a district, as a community, can best serve the students at these schools currently on the closure list.
Giving students whose current school works for them an additional year of stability to sort out how to adapt to the planned closures and mergers is frankly the least the Board can do. If the additional year this measure offers gives the community an opportunity to engage further and find a solution that does not require closures, so much the better.
I am strongly AGAINST ALL school closures but support the amendment postponing this decision to 2022-2023. I demand that OUSD engages with community and that the community is involved in conversations and in decision making processes
Small schools are more supportive for our students and all of the Board's decisions should be made based on what's best for our students. I support this amendment because more time is needed to hear public comment on this very disruptive move. Working families need schools that are near their homes. Students need stability during this very unstable time. Please vote to at least postpone school closures.
Thank you.
Loraine Woodard, Teacher
Oakland International High School
I support the board doing everything in their power to keep schools open. The school closures are a farce: they are not financially responsible, they are unnecessary and are not the way to serve OUSD students. Attempting to close schools during a pandemic year is even worse. Delaying consideration of closures for at least one more year will help, but ultimately the board needs to do what is right and keep all schools open.
I support this amendment to delay the closure of any school until at least the end of next school year. While opposed to any of these closures due to the lack of any community involvement in the DECISION making process, at least this gives all communities time to make plans.
I am against all school closures! However in the meantime, pushing closures back one year is a step in the right direction because half of the school board members that are pushing for this plan will no longer be in office next year.
Postponing school closures is a start, but all closures should ultimately be taken off the table. OUSD’s plan to close or merge 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.
As a parent of a student in the OUSD system, I do not support this rushed, ill-conceived school closure plan presented by the district without community input, a DEI analysis, and a factual, independent financial analysis impacting the children, communities, faculty and staff members affected. I do, however, support this amendment to Resolution No. 2122-0030 to postpone ANY school closures until—at least—the next academic year, 2023-2024.
I support the move to delay these school closures based on (1) the apparent performative nature of your passing the Reparations for Black Students Resolution less than a year ago and then repealing the key elements requiring community engagement and an equity analysis performed collaboratively with the Reparations Task Force, (2) the perpetuation of classism, racism, and ableism in the choices of schools for closure, (3) the lack of humanity displayed by the above choices and adding trauma to families during an ongoing pandemic, (4) the lack of fiscal transparency, and (5) the lack of analysis of cost savings or enhanced educational outcomes realized from any of the MANY past school closures. I hope that moving forward the State, County, District, and School Board will be more honest, humble, transparent, and collaborative with the communities and constituents they serve.
As a parent at Manzanita Seed, I strongly support the amendment to postpone any school closures until 2023-2024. Closing a school can disrupt children's education and derail their learning; it can also be devastating to communities who depend on schools for after care, food distribution and more. Even putting schools on a potential closure list can be shocking and disruptive to families. No decision like this should be made hastily without robust community input, a careful racial equity impact analysis, and an independent financial impact analysis. Please support this amendment now to postpone any closures - and please oppose school closures in the future. Oakland needs our schools.
As a parent and a teacher in OUSD and as a member of the first Blueprint Advisory committee I support the postponement of schools closures until the 2022-2023 school year to give adequate time to engage communities, gauge the impact on students, and give time to thoroughly go over this plan. Let's not move too quickly in a decision as important as this.
While I don't support school closures, I support postponing this decision to 2022-2023. We don't need this right now and we need to focus on stability.