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Agenda Item
I.-1 24-2794 Adoption by the Board of Education of AB 1912 Recommendations (Votes, if any, shall be Recorded In Consecutive Legislative Files):
First, Adoption of Resolution No. 2425-0020 - Concluding the AB 1912 Community Engagement Process; and
Second, Adoption of Resolution No. 2425-0015 - Initiating School Mergers (Second Reading), effective 2025-26 Year (Or alternatively 2026-27 Year).
Hello all. My grandchild is a 1st grader at Manzanita SEED. Please vote NO to merge schools as it will impact her learning Espanol. Please listen to us and vote NO to merging schools!
This merger will be disastrous to the distinct bilingual program in place at Manzanita SEED. My son attends SEED in first grade this year, and we love our experience, as the teachers are so well-equipped and present for our kids, and teach the bilingual curriculum so well. They are experienced and rooted at SEED, as this is our established community. It is a beautiful and effective program that supports these English and Spanish learners, in an increasingly diverse Oakland in which there is a greater need and demand for such bilingual programs. This merger would be a massive disruption to this vital program for our community and also being chaos to these school sites, which would drive away families and our beloved teachers who will opt to teach elsewhere in a more supportive and less chaotic environment. Please do what is best for our community and our city, and vote NO on this merger!
Thank you,
Concerned mother of two
I oppose the school mergers as proposed. I understand that reductions are needed but collapsing schools that have purposely been kept separate due to unique strengths and focus, such as Manzanita SEED’s recognized dual immersion program, shows that rigorous analysis has not been done. Your analysts should go back to the drawing board with the goal of preserving and strengthening what is working and identifying potential savings from what is not working —which school buildings are outdated, requiring costly upgrades and fixes but are close to facilities in much better condition? Let’s continue to invest in our people. With the proposed mergers you will not save anything on facilities only by reducing jobs of our dedicated administrative positions. For SEED, the savings are minimal and not worth risking a true gem in the system.
“A safe, joyful education that prepares them to be lifelong readers and bilingual and bi-literate leaders. Students thrive in music, sports, languages and STEAM” - these type of schools and education are super important to have and keep running in Oakland!
Hello, my name is Roberto and I am a parent to a 1st grader at Manzanita SEED. We deeply value the dl program at Seed and you’ll be putting it at risk if you decide to merge the schools. PLEASE vote oppose.
I am completely against merging schools and possibly losing the dual immersion programs that ICS offers. My daughter is learning so much Spanish and is excited about it.
oppose the merger proposal. Manzanita SEED offers a positive impact not only for students, teachers, and families, but the community as well. Please vote no!
I strongly oppose the merger proposal. As a member of the community, Manzanita SEED offers enrichment and a positive impact not only for students, teachers, and families, but the broader community as well. This would be a travesty and is not the appropriate way to close the budget. Please vote no!
I am the parent of a student at Manzanita SEED. I adamantly oppose this merger proposal and ask that you vote NO. Our family chose Manzanita SEED because of its dual immersion program and its bilingual school community. There is great concerns that any merger would diminish and deprioritized bilingual programming.mIf Manzanita SEED was merged with Manzanita Community, it would create the largest elementary school in Oakland, with almost 800 students. A school of this size running two distinct programs would put enormous strain on administrators and school staff. Lastly, the cost savings estimates from the proposed merger are small, and because the district hasn’t been transparent about how they were calculated, it is not clear they are even realistic. I am greatly concerned that chaotic and unpopular mergers risk driving families from the district, leading to a direct loss of funding.
As a parent of a kindergartener at Manz SEED who is thrilled to go to school every morning, please vote NO on the school mergers. The potential costs are enormous: hitting vulnerable/ non-English speaking communities, disrupting educational programming, adding administrative bloat/ oversight for the merger, losing site-specific grant money, losing staff/ teacher morale, and losing fed-up families who decide to leave - worsening the financial situation. The savings presented are non-transparent and dubious – just $2M of a $95M deficit and with no expected cost savings in the first few years? Mergers take time to understand & execute; they require parents, teachers, staff, and the community working together towards a feasible plan…and NOT this haphazard & abrupt concept of a plan dumped onto our kids who will be the sacrificial pawns in a poorly played game of OUSD financial decision-making. Families impacted by the plan don't understand what this proposal means...does the Board?
Hi y'all, we've been over this. NO SCHOOL MERGERS. You will completely decimate the school communities we have built and love. I'm a parent at ICS and the District has yet to show us a successful school merger, particularly between a bilingual school and an English-only campus, which you are asking 8 of these 10 schools to do. Students, staff, and families will be harmed by this move. Get on the ground and talk to families so that we can all be part of a successful transition for OUSD. We want to help be part of the solution. Ostracizing families and driving them out of the district (often to nearby charters) by torching what few resources and programs we already enjoy is not the answer.
The juice isn't worth the squeeze, OUSD! The proposed merger of these 10 schools into 5 compromises the unique school cultures cultivated over many years at these school sites. My children attend Manzanita SEED and thrive in the school's multilingual, multicultural setting. Developing Spanish language skills has been incredible for them academically and socially, and upending the school culture would be a huge blow to our family and families in merged schools across the district. The paltry projected potential savings absolutely don't justify the loss of these vital school communities. Vote no!
I oppose
Hello all. My grandchild is a 1st grader at Manzanita SEED. Please vote NO to merge schools as it will impact her learning Espanol. Please listen to us and vote NO to merging schools!
My daughter is a Kindergarten at Manzanita SEED, and we oppose this merger. Please vote NO.
This merger will be disastrous to the distinct bilingual program in place at Manzanita SEED. My son attends SEED in first grade this year, and we love our experience, as the teachers are so well-equipped and present for our kids, and teach the bilingual curriculum so well. They are experienced and rooted at SEED, as this is our established community. It is a beautiful and effective program that supports these English and Spanish learners, in an increasingly diverse Oakland in which there is a greater need and demand for such bilingual programs. This merger would be a massive disruption to this vital program for our community and also being chaos to these school sites, which would drive away families and our beloved teachers who will opt to teach elsewhere in a more supportive and less chaotic environment. Please do what is best for our community and our city, and vote NO on this merger!
Thank you,
Concerned mother of two
I oppose the school mergers as proposed. I understand that reductions are needed but collapsing schools that have purposely been kept separate due to unique strengths and focus, such as Manzanita SEED’s recognized dual immersion program, shows that rigorous analysis has not been done. Your analysts should go back to the drawing board with the goal of preserving and strengthening what is working and identifying potential savings from what is not working —which school buildings are outdated, requiring costly upgrades and fixes but are close to facilities in much better condition? Let’s continue to invest in our people. With the proposed mergers you will not save anything on facilities only by reducing jobs of our dedicated administrative positions. For SEED, the savings are minimal and not worth risking a true gem in the system.
“A safe, joyful education that prepares them to be lifelong readers and bilingual and bi-literate leaders. Students thrive in music, sports, languages and STEAM” - these type of schools and education are super important to have and keep running in Oakland!
School closures are bad for students and teachers. I oppose this school closure and merger
I oppose this merger, this will result in less resources for our children! Please don’t be selfish
My niece is a first grader at Manzanita Seed and i oppose the merge.
My niece is a first grader at Manzanita Seed and I oppose the merge. Students will be at risk of losing the dual language program.
Hello, my name is Roberto and I am a parent to a 1st grader at Manzanita SEED. We deeply value the dl program at Seed and you’ll be putting it at risk if you decide to merge the schools. PLEASE vote oppose.
I am completely against merging schools and possibly losing the dual immersion programs that ICS offers. My daughter is learning so much Spanish and is excited about it.
oppose the merger proposal. Manzanita SEED offers a positive impact not only for students, teachers, and families, but the community as well. Please vote no!
I strongly oppose the merger proposal. As a member of the community, Manzanita SEED offers enrichment and a positive impact not only for students, teachers, and families, but the broader community as well. This would be a travesty and is not the appropriate way to close the budget. Please vote no!
I am the parent of a student at Manzanita SEED. I adamantly oppose this merger proposal and ask that you vote NO. Our family chose Manzanita SEED because of its dual immersion program and its bilingual school community. There is great concerns that any merger would diminish and deprioritized bilingual programming.mIf Manzanita SEED was merged with Manzanita Community, it would create the largest elementary school in Oakland, with almost 800 students. A school of this size running two distinct programs would put enormous strain on administrators and school staff. Lastly, the cost savings estimates from the proposed merger are small, and because the district hasn’t been transparent about how they were calculated, it is not clear they are even realistic. I am greatly concerned that chaotic and unpopular mergers risk driving families from the district, leading to a direct loss of funding.
Please vote NO on this merger proposal.
As a parent of a kindergartener at Manz SEED who is thrilled to go to school every morning, please vote NO on the school mergers. The potential costs are enormous: hitting vulnerable/ non-English speaking communities, disrupting educational programming, adding administrative bloat/ oversight for the merger, losing site-specific grant money, losing staff/ teacher morale, and losing fed-up families who decide to leave - worsening the financial situation. The savings presented are non-transparent and dubious – just $2M of a $95M deficit and with no expected cost savings in the first few years? Mergers take time to understand & execute; they require parents, teachers, staff, and the community working together towards a feasible plan…and NOT this haphazard & abrupt concept of a plan dumped onto our kids who will be the sacrificial pawns in a poorly played game of OUSD financial decision-making. Families impacted by the plan don't understand what this proposal means...does the Board?
Hi y'all, we've been over this. NO SCHOOL MERGERS. You will completely decimate the school communities we have built and love. I'm a parent at ICS and the District has yet to show us a successful school merger, particularly between a bilingual school and an English-only campus, which you are asking 8 of these 10 schools to do. Students, staff, and families will be harmed by this move. Get on the ground and talk to families so that we can all be part of a successful transition for OUSD. We want to help be part of the solution. Ostracizing families and driving them out of the district (often to nearby charters) by torching what few resources and programs we already enjoy is not the answer.
Can we please not close bilingual programs in a city where they’re so needed?
Please vote no on mergers.
The juice isn't worth the squeeze, OUSD! The proposed merger of these 10 schools into 5 compromises the unique school cultures cultivated over many years at these school sites. My children attend Manzanita SEED and thrive in the school's multilingual, multicultural setting. Developing Spanish language skills has been incredible for them academically and socially, and upending the school culture would be a huge blow to our family and families in merged schools across the district. The paltry projected potential savings absolutely don't justify the loss of these vital school communities. Vote no!