It was a heartfelt moment recently when a member of the Alameda County school board asked the question that many of us were thinking, why are some Oakland families so opposed to charter schools in Deep East Oakland. A question doubly important, because there are some serious hostile environment issues playing out at the Hills…
A Charter School “Moratorium” in Oakland Would Be Wrong, Illegal and Stupid
Rather than asking why so many families attend charters or even more pay for private school in Oakland, there is a misguided effort at a charter moratorium. This is not only illegal, it’s counterproductive—which makes it stupid. Case in point: Unnamed Charter School, a school soundly denied by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), was…
We Got Our Homegrown Superintendent in Oakland. Now What?
The community spoke. We wanted a homegrown leader, who understood OUSD and could hit the ground running. And now we got one in the appointment of Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell for superintendent. Whether we actually give her a chance is another question. But before the mud flies, let’s pop a cork. We need a leader and…
Death by a Thousand Cuts, How Not to Balance the OUSD Budget
OUSD will not nickel and dime its way out of the budget crisis, and we need to hire a leader quickly to start making the hard decisions. The papers are starting to bleed with stories of seeming valuable programs on the chopping block because they cost more, which is only the start of what promises…
Bad Lessons at Albany High; The Difference Between Free Speech and Being a Jackhole
White, privileged and oblivious, a group of families whose children were punished for association with racist Instagram posts are suing the district for violating their First Amendment rights. It sounds like something out of the Onion: “Racists sue, claiming intolerance of their intolerance.” You can’t make this crap up. But it’s not funny really. From the East…