Search Results: James Harris
At a special meeting on Wednesday night, Oakland school board members voted to deny one charter school a petition for renewal and failed to approve renewals for two others, planning to consider both again at the December 2 meeting.
For the last three Oakland school board meetings, protesters from the newly-formed Oakland Is Not for Sale Coalition have tried to prevent the meetings from taking place, chanting, raising banners and attempting to take over the stage where board members are seated in order to hold what they call a “people’s board meeting.” The group is protesting the “The Blueprint for Quality Schools,” a district-run plan that supports the closure and merger of under-enrolled and underperforming schools. The protests coalesced…
Protesters temporarily disrupted the October 10 school board meeting, during which members discussed an Opportunity Ticket for students affected by school closures and debated redrawing Kaiser Elementary’s attendance boundaries.
Tensions from the recent Oakland teachers’ strike were still reverberating among attendees during a special meeting for the Board of Education on Wednesday night. Hundreds of people filled the auditorium at La Escuelita Education Complex, holding small green signs that set the theme for the night. One side of the signs read “No new charters.” On the other: “No school closures.” Many in the crowd wore the black and green of the Oakland Education Association (OEA)—the teachers’ union—or red, the…
The Oakland teachers’ strike officially ended on Sunday evening, but the debate over their contract and district budget cuts is still not over. The vote on Sunday was far from unanimous. Members of the teachers’ union—the Oakland Education Association—gathered at the Paramount Theater for four hours of debate before voting on whether or not to approve the tentative agreement, or TA, reached by union and the Oakland Unified School District. Teachers held signs that read “Say no to the sellout…
Two weeks ago, a business advocacy group sued the city of Oakland over its certification of Measure AA, a tax initiative from the November election that would create a fund for more early childhood education programs. The lawsuit—filed by the Jobs and Housing Coalition, along with a group of property owners—argues that the city council thwarted the will of Oakland voters by certifying the measure even though it failed to earn support from two-thirds of the voters. The measure, also…
At an emotional meeting Monday night, the Oakland Board of Education voted to close Roots International Academy, a middle school in East Oakland, despite Roots students, parents, teachers, and staff imploring them to keep the school open.
At an Oakland Unified School Board meeting on Wednesday, it was revealed that the district ended the 2017-18 school year ended with a $29 million surplus, instead of the estimated $1.4 million deficit.
A committee meeting on Thursday explored the high turnover rate among staff and teachers in OUSD and its effect on student achievement.
In a six to one vote, the Oakland Unified School District school board voted to cut $9 million from the district’s budget on Wednesday night. Earlier in the afternoon, members of the Oakland Education Association assembled at Lake Merritt to protest the proposed cuts, then marched down the streets toward La Escuelita Elementary School, where the board meeting would take place. Olivia Udovic, a parent and teacher at Oakland Montessori School in the Fruitvale neighborhood, marched proudly in the front…
Proposed $15.1 million school budget cut sparks protest
On Wednesday, while the school board met in closed session, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) took to the street to protest. With handmade signs, teachers gathered at seven different locations in Oakland to express their thoughts on the proposed school budget.
The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education approved a plan to cut $14 million from the district’s 2017-2018 budget during a meeting Wednesday evening.
The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will likely hire a new superintendent in the next six months.
Sitting Oakland city council and school board members won’t have to get out of their chairs; incumbents swept the seven combined seats up for re-election Tuesday. Still, many candidates say their victors were soured by the outcome of the presidential election. District 1 councilmember Dan Kalb, who represents North Oakland, took 80 percent of the vote in his district. His challenger, Kevin Corbett, received less than 20 percent. There were 18 write-in votes. Kalb was pleased by the passage of Measure…
Oaklanders will awake to the news that marijuana has been legalised statewide, soda will be taxed across the city, and more Oakland tenants will receive protection from eviction and rent increases through Measure JJ.