Posts Tagged ‘OUSD’
Castlemont coaches create refuge for students as athletic programs stall
The grassy area at Verdese Carter Park looks nothing like a football field. There are no yard markers to measure by or yellow uprights to kick through. But on a hazy afternoon in early October, there’s just enough space between dog-walkers and pickup basketball games to squeeze in a Castlemont High School football practice.
Read MoreSchool reopenings highlight public-private resource gap in Oakland
Forty elementary schools in Alameda County submitted reopening plans as of Oct. 16, and 10 resumed in-person learning in some capacity this week. All of them are private or charter schools.
Read MoreCA Proposition 15 could bring millions to Oakland Schools, new burdens to businesses, tax assessors
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,…
Read MoreOakland school board grapples with protest and budget
The Oakland school board considered a budget update and a new facilities plan at its final meeting of 2019.
Read MoreSchool board considers renewal of three charter schools
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.
Read MoreStudy: OUSD program succeeds in boosting Black male student achievement
Researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, Irvine released a study last month regarding an Oakland Unified School District program focused on boosting achievement for Black male students. The study showed that the program has led to an increase in graduation and retention rates among participating students over the last dozen years.
Read MoreCommunity disquiet about school closures erupts at school board meeting
At the auditorium of La Escuelita Elementary school Wednesday evening, Oakland Unified School District police officers were notably absent. So, too, were the barricades that had been set up to block protestors during a previous school board meeting on October 23, which had ended with the arrest of several protesters who oppose school closures and…
Read MoreProtesters at OUSD school board meeting decry school closures
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.
Read MoreStudents, district rally to bring back free supper program
After the Oakland Unified Schools District (OUSD) eliminated the district’s free supper program in 2018, student organizers from Oakland Kids First, a city organization that supports youth organizing and campaign work, and the OUSD Superintendent’s Office teamed up to recover and revamp the program.
Read MoreSchool budget woes strain the bonds between Oakland foster youth and their case managers
There are just under 400 foster youth attending Oakland schools, and for many, one person at their school is dedicated to them: their case manager. This counselor provides support and offers one-on-one guidance—academically and for other issues that may arise outside of school. The Oakland Unified School District has four case managers for foster youth,…
Read MoreOakland Unified School District plans to eliminate 100 classified workers’ positions
Melvin Phillips has worked in Oakland schools for the last 27 years. He is currently the lead school security officer at Fremont High School and he is one of hundreds of classified employees in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Classified workers include instructional specialists like classroom support staff and tutors, administrative workers, custodians, security…
Read MoreOakland City Council gives schools $1.2 million in one-time funding for the school year
Last Tuesday, the Oakland City Council passed a resolution to provide $1.2 million in funding for the Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) restorative justice program, foster youth case manager positions, and school libraries. All three programs were at risk of enacting widespread layoffs or reductions to the services they provide following the Oakland school board’s…
Read MoreAt Oakland school board meeting, debate over school closures and charter schools intensifies
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.”…
Read MoreDuring the teachers strike, “solidarity sites” provided safe places for students
When the Oakland teachers’ strike began, many volunteers joined forces to create “solidarity sites” across the city to support the teachers by giving students a safe place to stay while classes were cancelled. Bushrod Recreation Center was one of the fifteen recreation centers open for parents to drop off their kids so they wouldn’t have…
Read MoreOakland’s schools are open again, but tension remains over budget cuts, teacher contract
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…
Read MoreTeachers, Oakland school district strike a tentative deal
On Friday afternoon, just as Oakland’s school board meeting was supposed to start, a union representative wearing red–the symbol of the “Red for Ed” movement that has galvanized teachers’ strikes across the nation–stepped in front of the crowd and announced that teachers and school officials had reached a tentative four-year agreement. If ratified, it will…
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