I woke up most of those mornings before board meetings with a prayer that I might be in service. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve. What an incredibly humbling experience working inside the complexity of OUSD — hearing the voices of young people, the struggles of parents, along with the inspiring hope they…
Jumoke Hinton-Hodge
The legendary Toni Cook opines on Housing for All
The Honorable Toni Cook is a legend in the education landscape of Oakland from the cradle to college. I had no idea who Ms. Toni was — the Honorable Toni Cook, School Board member from District 6, the school board member who made the equity-minded appeal for adequate and additional resources for students who spoke…
A Conversation with Dr. Charles Cole
By Jumoke Hinton I’m grateful for the words of Dr. Charles Cole, III and the life he leads! Our conversation was heartfelt and powerful. We’ve broken down the session and will share some Dr. Cole gems from our conversation throughout our SoBEO Repurposing OUSD Lands for Housing campaign. I had the opportunity to sit with…
How OUSD Can Help Solve Oakland’s Housing Crisis and How You Can Help
2020 has brought new meaning to just about everything in our lives. I knew the definition of the word Pandemic and, yet 2020 taught us the impact of a Pandemic. Our Health, Our Wealth, Our Education, and Our Future have a new meaning. The old cliche – Our Children are Our Future – has a new ring to it…
What is wrong with the SPED department in OUSD?
By Andrew Pablo, former OUSD Special Education teacher I know everyone is tired of hearing the same statement that “public schools are underfunded.” However, the fact of the matter is, public schools are truly lacking the necessary amount of money to create learning spaces that can benefit ALL students, including those with IEPs (Individualized Educational…