Dear OUSD Staff and Community:As we prepare for tonight’s Budget presentation to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education, I want to share some information with you beforehand. Over the course of the year, I will provide quarterly updates to inform the community on our progress toward fiscal vitality and examine challenges we…
The Oakland Education Week in Review: 9/1-9/8
Last week, some conflicting opinions on the Kaiser closure proposal, the latest on the budget process, Met West’s Ericka Huggins campus opens, an accusation of grade tampering at an OUSD high school, a look at the progress from last year, charter law and prop 13 reform, all that and much more, please read, share, and…
The Geography of Opportunity in Oakland; And How Kaiser and Sankofa Became So Different
“An African-American born in West Oakland can expect to die almost 15 years earlier than a White person born in the Hills” –Alameda County Public Health Department Report The disparities in our schools are by design, not accident. When we have schools like Kaiser and Sankofa, geographically not far apart, but in other ways demonstrating…
Yes, It’s about Race, Race and the Schools Oakland Students Deserve; A Kaiser Parent’s Story
A guest post from Dr. Brian Stanley, Black | Husband | Father | Leader | Policy Nerd | Oakland, we always welcome guest writers The Oakland Unified School District is recommending merging my child’s school, Henry J. Kaiser Elementary and Sankofa Elementary into a single school on the Sankofa campus in North Oakland. Kaiser, nestled in the…
Why the Latest Charter School Compromise Won’t Fix Charter Authorizing, And Actually Makes the Situation Worse
News broke last week that one of Sacramento’s most vexing legislative issues had reached a compromise. The teachers’ union and charter association had agreed on a compromise bill on revising the charter law. I’m not clapping for a broken process, that was all about what choices California’s most underserved families will have—and had none of…