OUSD meeting punctuated by argument rolls out budget transparency, special ed plan

Members of the group BAMN were told to step away from the podium after speaking over the allotted time during the public comments section of Wednesday night's OUSD board meeting. Photo by Erika Alvero.

During Wednesday night’s Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education meeting, the CFO presented a new web tool which would make the district’s annual budget more accessible to the public, special education staffers explained a service plan that’s being implemented in stages over the next three years, and the district’s civic engagement coordinator delivered an explanation of a proposed ethnic studies curriculum.

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Oakland council votes to support worker co-ops, 100 Cameras campaign

Kyle McCoy, an Oakland resident and activist with Black Lives Matter, calls for more accountability for police-involved shootings. Photo by Lucas Waldron.

At the Oakland City Council meeting Tuesday night, the council voted to assist the development of worker cooperatives and voted unanimously to support the 100 Cameras campaign, which encourages the public to film police activity. Much of the meeting time was spent hearing public comments from a handful of activists from the civil rights coalition…

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School board hears grief over shooting, examines budget

Superintendent Tony Smith listens as a member of the public speaks against the OUSD police shooting of a 20-year-old man on Saturday.

Teachers in Oakland can expect a 2 percent raise next year, but that was the only positive budget news from Wednesday night’s school board meeting. The district is expecting to lose more of its state funding this year, is running low on much of its one-time-use federal funding and continues to struggle with low enrollment.

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