OUSD board renews AIMS’ charter but flags teacher credential and other issues

The packed gymnasium at La Escuelita Elementary School erupted in cheers on Tuesday night as the Oakland Unified School District board voted to approve AIMS High School’s charter renewal petition. 

The room was filled with students, family, and staff with matching red T-shirts and posters in support of the charter school.

With this approval, AIMS High School in Oakland, which has an enrollment of 367 students, will enter a five-year renewal term from July 1 through June 30, 2032.

Freshman Melody Thomas, who was enrolled at AIMS in sixth grade but went to a different school for eighth grade, wanted to return to AIMS for high school because the community’s emphasis on diversity made her feel at home. She is part of the club Black Girls United, and said she and her classmates were willing to fight to keep the school open. 

“ We’re like, ‘If they close the school down, we’re protesting,’” she said. 

By Wednesday morning, Melody said, the whole school had heard the news and was celebrating it. 

“Some even started clapping,” she said. “Everyone was happy.”

District’s concerns

Charter schools are public schools that need to apply for renewal through the host school district, as they operate independently from other district schools. Renewal periods typically last five years but may vary by district. 

AIMS K-12, which was initially named American Indian Public Charter School, began in 1996 as a middle school and Oakland’s second publicly funded charter school. In 2006, it expanded to include a high school, and an elementary school in 2012.

AIMS High enrolls high numbers of Black students, and 67% of its students in the 2025-26 school year were considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. Although AIMS has historically been praised for high test scores, AIMS’ K-8 school was embroiled in a lengthy renewal process in 2024 through 2025 due to concerns over enrollment, staffing and leadership, and teacher credentialing. The original request was for a seven-year renewal, but after two rounds of appeals, the charter was renewed for five.

The School Board pressed AIMS’ officials on Tuesday about issues raised about special education policies and programing that came up during last year’s renewal petition. Earlier this year, the AIMS governing board adopted a five-year Special Education Performance Improvement Plan, which includes compliance tracking and audits, staff training and requirements for reporting to the board. In accordance with the terms in the Performance Improvement Plan, AIMS will need to provide the OUSD board with an update on their special education program by Jan. 10.

The board still has concerns about teacher and leadership turnover. In 2023-24, only 17% of teachers returned from the prior year. This number has greatly improved, with 63% of teachers returning this school year. Additionally, five of six members on AIMS’ governing board have been appointed since June 2024, and two members were appointed in August 2026. The high school is also operating with an interim principal. Superintendent LaResha Huffman was appointed in July.

Charter schools like AIMS admit students using a public lottery system, meaning that students don’t need to live within a certain zone or neighborhood near the school to attend. 

Kayla Pho, a junior at AIMS High School, said she was given the choice to go to other high schools but wanted to go to AIMS because of the people and academic opportunities. Students and families, she said, “believe AIMS is their safe place.”

All AIMS students complete A-G requirements, which are the required courses to be eligible for admission to the University of California and California State University systems. AIMS High School’s A-G completion rate remained at or near 100% through the previous charter term, which school board member Clifford Thompson commended the school for. This number is much higher than OUSD’s average of about 60% completion during the same time period, according to a report by the school. 

However, the school faced strong criticism from the School Board over low AP scores, as most students enrolled in AP courses do not receive passing grades on AP tests. Adria Bani, interim head of the high school, said AIMS is committed to improving these numbers and will conduct a review of how staff teaches the AP curriculum. 

The School Board was also concerned about a high rate of AIMS High teachers operating without full credentials. According to a staffing report, 71% of assignments at AIMS High during the 2023-24 school year were considered “ineffective,” meaning the teacher had no legal authorization or was authorized by emergency credential, variable term waiver, or substitute permit. OUSD’s average for “ineffective” teaching assignments in high school classes was 38%. 

Bani told the board that AIMS High has four teaching assistants who rotate through the school’s AP classes to provide classroom support, but that none of these is fully credentialed.

Board member VanCedric Williams said he hopes that during the renewal period, AIMS’ new leadership can address these concerns.

“I  see your intentions. I see that you’re really moving to be transparent and accountable as well. I’m really rooting for you,” he said. “We’re going to get it done, but we also are trying to break a long history of a lot of talk and not getting it done, right? So I really want to give you that opportunity to do what you say you’re gonna do.”

Also Tuesday, the OUSD board renewed the charter for Aspire Monarch Academy, for a term from July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2032.

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