This is a repost from FIA Oakland. Click here to read the entire story.
When Benjamin Salop takes a look at the Oakland public education landscape, the biggest overarching issue he sees is the lack of student and family engagement. He sees a disconnect between the system and the people it is supposed to serve, and the result has been dysfunction and students who are negatively impacted.
His view comes from his years as an Oakland public school student, and he believes the perspective of a recent OUSD graduate is what’s missing from the Oakland school board.
Ben is running for the District 1 Oakland school board position as a 20-year-old who graduated from Oakland Tech in 2022 because he believes that students and families deserve a seat at the decision-making table.
“On the board, I can share my personal experience,” said Ben, who is studying civil engineering and intellectual history at UC Berkeley. “More importantly, I can speak to other students and ask them what they need, and represent Oakland youth on the board.”
Ben was a politically-active student, the student body president of Oakland Tech and the co-chair of the Oakland Youth Commission. He participated in the Tech school site council and the district’s LCAP committee. In Ben’s view, there are a lot of issues plaguing Oakland education that have common-sense solutions.
“It was shocking to me that these universally popular, high return-of-investment initiatives were not being provided for,” Ben said. “Things like getting tablets for special education students or allocating funds toward Restorative Justice.”
Ben also sees a strong link between student engagement and student success. “It’s important that students feel like they are an active participant in their education,” Ben said. “It’s imperative Oakland youth are engaged because if they feel that their voice matters they will treat their education with more respect and focus.”