Former Lakeview Elementary parents and students adjust to new schools

Parents drop off their kids to Piedmont Elementary in Oakland during the first week of school.

Zarina Ahmad, principal of Piedmont Avenue Elementary in Oakland, put extra effort this year into creating a bright first day of school. She and her staff pasted a class list to the outside wall, with a photo of each teacher. Big orange cones separated children by their grades. Teachers ran a short pep rally, called the “Line Up to Learn.” Uniformed Oakland firemen welcomed kids into the school.

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Release of Oakland school closures list delayed

Earlier this week it was reported that the agenda for Oakland’s school board meeting on Tuesday, including a complete list of schools recommended for closure by superintendent Tony Smith, would be released at 5 pm Friday. The release date was changed to Saturday, September 24, at 5 pm. The list is posted, here.

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Green Stampede volunteers combine baseball and tutoring

Andre Johnson gets extra math help from Melissa Williams during the 8th inning.

The Green Stampede was founded in 2001 by Oakland school board member Chris Dobbins, who designed the program, along with friends who were both teachers and A’s fans, as a combination recreational and tutoring after school program. “It gives a lot of kids a place to go,” says Jorge Leon, Green Stampede President and former Stampede student.

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Oakland school board reflects on Measure L defeat

MeasureL

In their first meeting since the November election, Oakland’s school board members reflected somberly on the near-passage of Measure L, the $195 property tax that would have raised $20 million per year for ten years, increasing salaries for school employees.

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Tracking the candidates’ financial interests

Oakland City Hall

This information helps voters make informed decisions, and helps the public detect any potential conflicts of interest that might tempt an official to use her office for personal gain. In California, this information is recorded on a document called the “Statement of Economic Interests,” or Form 700 under the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission.

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Former union leader challenges incumbent in school board election

Incumbent Gary Yee (above) faces Ben Visnick in the District Four school board election. Photo courtesy of Gary Yee.

Although three of the seven board members are up for re-election in November, only one seat is being challenged. Incumbents David Kakishiba and Christopher Dobbins have no opposition, and so will automatically retain their school board seats. But Gary Yee, the current board president, has an opponent who is also a longtime adversary—former teachers’ union president Ben Visnick.

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