I am a Laurel Elementary parent and D5 resident. Our city and district need your courageous leadership right now to stop the cycle of instability that shrinks the budget “pie” and hurts us all.

In the current scenarios, all schools and staff will be starved of resources. It is time to face the reality that we operate nearly double the number of schools that we can afford to. Restructuring can be a positive legacy if done right -- share a timeline for district redesign and involve families and educators early to ensure transitions are smooth and equitable.

I recognize you are under immense political pressure, made worse by disinformation campaigns about how our budget works. I urge you as board members to publicly counter these myths, so that community members like myself can back you up in the difficult transitions that lay ahead.

Do not disenfranchise another generation of Oaklanders through inaction – we will hold you accountable if you do.

Based on the presentation, $20 million isn't enough. Where will the Board cut another $80 million? It's time to look at school consolidations and cut positions as of now. I understand that no one wants to close schools, but it's not fiscally responsible to keep spending at the current rate. Staff that were hired under one time fund should be let go because there's no sustainable funding for them.

On top of that, everything keeps going up because of inflation. If there's no increase in revenue, and labor unions are asking for cost of living adjustments, some tough decisions have to be made about looking at the school sites and the positions. Another option, can senior and administrative positions take furloughs to save the district money? Please explore these options further to prevent the district from going back into state receivership.