CA Proposition 15 could bring millions to Oakland Schools, new burdens to businesses, tax assessors

The Elmhurst School campus that Elmhurst Community Prep currently shares with Alliance Academy

Voters will decide next month whether to approve a ballot measure which could provide a windfall for schools and local governments, but a far greater burden on businesses and tax assessors.  The existing property tax law is governed by a 1978 ballot measure, Proposition 13, which significantly limited state property taxes. But the new measure,…

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In Oakland, students have a voice as school board directors

Darius Aikens, a junior at Oakland High School, and Bianca Ramirez, a sophomore at Fremont High School, are student directors for the school board for the 2015-2016 school year.

Darius Aikens, a junior at Oakland High School, and Bianca Ramirez, a sophomore at Fremont High School, are student directors for the school board for the 2015-2016 school year. They attend all board meetings and act as intermediaries between the board and the All City Council, the district-wide student union.

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At Castlemont, new school year brings changes, challenges

Chinyere Tutashinda passes out visitor passes and peacekeeping positions at Castlemont High School in East Oakland.

As Norman Ospina, the school attendance clerk and a translator at Castlemont High School in East Oakland, crossed the courtyard on a crisp overcast fall morning, he spotted a young man he believed had been involved in a campus brawl on September 21. Ospina, whose students call him “Mr. O,” placed his index finger over…

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Students get second chance at day’s first meal

Breakfast

Oakland Unified School District officials believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—so important that they’re now serving it twice. In an effort to increase the number of students who eat breakfast at school, the district has begun implementing an additional breakfast option called “Second Chance Breakfast.”

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At daybreak, already in line for free school supplies

Back to School Rally

Several hundred people gathered on Saturday in Frank Ogawa Plaza, where promises of free back-to-school supplies attracted a wide range of students, from kindergarteners to college freshmen. Many parents arrived hours before the official start time, children in tow, in order to ensure a good place in line for the give-away.

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A tradition to uphold: Commissioner of historical prep league wants to maintain its independence

Michael Moore, the Oakland Athletic League’s commissioner, is in charge of one of the oldest high school sports organizations in the state—but it’s also the smallest, and under pressure to combine with larger sections. The league’s future was in doubt until Moore came along and could still face more questions about its status—but Moore wants to keep the league independent.

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