The weekly recap of all the Oakland education news–More on the budget crisis and how PTA’s are filling some gaps, the need to make choices during open enrollment, key data in the OUSD fiscal crisis, the State’s culpability, Mack wins another championship, school libraries are closing, the need to better serve gender non-conforming youth, that and much more please read and share
Oakland
The 2 Numbers You Need to Know to Understand the OUSD Fiscal Crisis
State “Culpable” for OUSD Financial Crisis, Says County Schools’ Supt.
Opinion: Choose or Lose in Oakland’s Public Schools
Oakland schools budget cuts will mean layoffs, furloughs –
Oakland School Board Reduces Mid-Year Cuts from $15.1 Million to $9 Million – Oakland Post
Pandora with Girls Who Code at Bret Harte Middle School –
CIF football: McClymonds rolls to second straight CIF state title
My Word: Skyline High student angry over OUSD cuts; says public education in crisis
SF school leaders, advocates wary of Silicon Valley group aiming to tackle achievement gap
We Want to Hear from You: Survey about the Future of OUSD
Thirty percent of Oakland school libraries closed, district lays off head librarian
California
Early intervention helps boost reading skills for young children most at risk of falling behind
In California, A Push to Help More Foster Youth Get Financial Aid
27% of California adolescents are gender nonconforming, study finds
Best of the Rest
Listening Key to Better Understanding Community Needs, Report Finds
This Holiday Season You Should Be Thinking About Homeless LGBTQ+ Students and Here’s Why
Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help
Prospect Heights Charter School Sued Over 40-Day Suspension
Resources for Families / Ways you can Help
Help CE Mykytyn get more signatures – 405 are still needed!
Oakland
Parent and Teacher Fundraisers Proliferate to Fill Budget Gaps Caused by Oakland Schools Mismanagement – It’s not unusual for schools to hold bake sales to pay for extra-curricular activities. But this year, Oakland parents and teachers are trying to raise substantial amounts of money to soften the blow of budget cuts affecting core academic programs.
Analysis: Oakland Educators Bridging Charter-Traditional School Divide to Work Toward Equity for All Students – The two sides argue over their intentions, who serves a more challenging group of students, who deserves more funding but gets less, and so on. Such accusations reflect strongly held interests and convictions, not facts.
The 2 Numbers You Need to Know to Understand the OUSD Fiscal Crisis – OUSD once had 63,000 students and roughly 90 schools, today we have 36,000 students and roughly 86 schools. Esteemed Oaklandologist, Dr. Brian Stanley, dropped that knowledge in a long historical look back on OUSD enrollment and its finances. And anyone wondering where the fiscal crisis comes from should just ponder that.
State “Culpable” for OUSD Financial Crisis, Says County Schools’ Supt. – The State of California, which is legally responsible for overseeing the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) budget, is “culpable” for the ongoing financial crisis caused by lack of fiscal controls and overspending that came to light at the end of the administration of former Superintendent Antwan Wilson, according to Sheila Jordan, who served as Alameda County Superintendent of Schools for four terms.
Opinion: Choose or Lose in Oakland’s Public Schools – The meek will not inherit the earth in Oakland’s system of public school choice. Given the likelihood of school closings, they may inherit the dirt of a shuttered school, and the scraps of opportunities left after others have chosen first.
Oakland schools budget cuts will mean layoffs, furloughs – OAKLAND (BCN) The $9 million budget cut in the Oakland Unified School District approved Wednesday will mean layoffs, furloughs, salary givebacks and similar actions affecting workers, a spokesman said today.
Oakland School Board Reduces Mid-Year Cuts from $15.1 Million to $9 Million – Oakland Post – Recent protest at Oakland Board of Education meeting. The Oakland Board of Education slashed $9 million from its budget this week, reversing about 40 percent of proposed cuts in the face of an outpouring of protest from parents, teachers and students at school sites.
Pandora with Girls Who Code at Bret Harte Middle School – Female students at Bret Harte Middle School are inspired to “…learn to code, and change the world” thanks to a recent Girls Who Code and Pandora event.
CIF football: McClymonds rolls to second straight CIF state title – McClymonds caps an undefeated season with its second straight CIF State championship. In 2016, McClymonds became the first Oakland Section team to win a CIF State title by capturing the CIF Division 5-A state crown. The Warriors went 13-1, and their average margin of victory was 30.5 points per game.
My Word: Skyline High student angry over OUSD cuts; says public education in crisis – I am angry at the fiscal mismanagement within the Oakland Unified School District that has led to this disaster. Our current and past school boards as well as previous superintendents should be held accountable.
SF school leaders, advocates wary of Silicon Valley group aiming to tackle achievement gap – A Silicon Valley-based education reform nonprofit promising to tackle the achievement gap in San Francisco’s public schools by empowering parents has drawn the ire of district leaders and advocates, who criticize the group for its track record of advocating for charter schools.
We Want to Hear from You: Survey about the Future of OUSD – Get involved with the Blueprint for Quality Schools December 20, 2017 www.ousd.org | (510) 879-8200 (tel:+15108798200) Dear OUSD Community: Earlier this month, more than 200 community memberscame together to discuss priorities for the next 5 years of facilities investments in OUSD. If you were unable to join a meeting, it’s not too late for you to add your voice! There is money available for foster youth, but they often need adult help to get it, please share with schools and advocates, and let’s assure that all foster youth get the benefits they deserve.
Thirty percent of Oakland school libraries closed, district lays off head librarian – California has the worst student to library ratio in the country. And Oakland seems to have the worst school library situation, at least among the larger Bay Area schools as 30 percent of its 80 school libraries are closed.
Thank you to The Post News Group and Great School Voices for helping make sure families across Oakland have this information: Please share with families you know who have kids in transition grades – entering TK or K, 5th, or 8th; are new to Oakland; or are just looking to consider all of their public school options. And remember – the deadlines to apply are coming up in early 2018 – January 26 for OUSD and February 16 for charters.
California
Early intervention helps boost reading skills for young children most at risk of falling behind – A program designed to improve young children’s reading skills is showing results in San Mateo County through a focus on preschools and summer learning. By implementing summer programs for students in early grades and high-quality preschool that focuses on preparing students for kindergarten, one California County is improving the reading skills of its young children.
In California, A Push to Help More Foster Youth Get Financial Aid – Oakland-based John Burton Advocates for Youth is launching an initiative across California to link more foster youth with financial aid resources in college.
27% of California adolescents are gender nonconforming, study finds – It is the first representative survey of the state’s youth population to measure gender expression. The study, released by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, analyzed data collected from nearly 1,600 California households in the 2015-2016 California Health Interview Survey.
Best of the Rest
Prospect Heights Charter School Sued Over 40-Day Suspension – Success Academy Prospect Heights doled out 70 suspension days to a first grader who attacked school staff, court records show.
Listening Key to Better Understanding Community Needs, Report Finds – To better understand the needs of the communities they serve, foundations need to incorporate active listening and field scanning into their practices, a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy finds.
This Holiday Season You Should Be Thinking About Homeless LGBTQ+ Students and Here’s Why – The holiday season is a time of year that many spend with family and friends to share in each other’s joys and success and reflect on aspirations for the coming year. About 40 percent of the 1.6 million youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+. Most cite the reason for their homelessness as rejection or abuse from home.
Staying Connected: How Five Foundations Understand Those They Seek to Help profiles five funders — the Nord Family Foundation (Amherst, Ohio), Helios Education Foundation (Phoenix, Arizona), Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation (Owings Mills, Maryland), SC Ministry Foundation (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Duke Endowment (Charlotte, North Carolina) — that are rated highly for their understanding of their grantees’ beneficiaries’ needs.
Resources for families / Ways you can Help
Parenting for Liberation – Parenting for Liberation, a podcast to connect, inspire, and uplift Black folks as they navigate/negotiate raising Black children within the social and political context of the US. In a world where Black boys and girls are setup to fail.
Help CE Mykytyn get more signatures – 405 are still needed! – U.S. House of Representatives: Tell Congress to stop blocking school integration #STRIK301and302