OAKLAND, CA – What are the values and priorities of the candidates for Oakland school board in District 5?
On Thursday, September 28, 2023, hundreds of Oakland public school parents, youth, educators, and school leaders will host Families in Action’s District 5 School Board Candidate Forum. They will hear directly from the only two candidates in this special election, Jorge Lerma and Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez, in Oakland’s only parent and youth-led candidate forum.
The forum begins at 6:30 PM at Lazear Charter Academy (824 29th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601).
There are over 20 Oakland public schools located in District 5 and these school communities are coming together to hear who will do what’s necessary to change the outcomes for Black and Brown Oakland public school students.
The forum is organized by parents, youth, and educators of Families in Action for Quality Education (FIA), an East Oakland-based nonprofit organization that builds the leadership capacity of parents, youth, educators, and school leaders in order to create a more just public education ecosystem in Oakland.
“Far too often, parents like me are left out of the political decision-making process,” said Daisy Campos, a parent of a Lazear Charter Academy student. “The candidate forum has been organized by parents and we are using our power to make sure we are included in the democratic process.”
“The next District 5 school board member will cast a deciding vote on a deadlocked board and have a lot of power– they will be the swing vote on a board that’s currently deadlocked on major decisions,” said FIA Political Director Michael McDaniel. “Voters need to hear directly from the candidates about what they want to accomplish and how they will work to improve the academic achievement data for Black and Brown students.”
WHAT: District 5 School Board Candidate Forum
WHEN: Thursday, September 28 starting at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Lazear Charter Academy (824 29th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601)
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About Families in Action for Quality Education
Families in Action for Quality Education (FIA) was founded in 2019 and now has grown to serve over 16,000 district and charter school families. FIA has graduated over 500 parents, youth, educators, and school board members from our leadership institutes to advocate for access to quality education across the city of Oakland. For more information and to sign up, visit FIA’s website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.