The Oakland Unified District school board voted to close or merge nearly a dozen schools over the next two years.
The controversial vote took place on Wednesday.
The move follows two weeks of demonstrations, marches and even a more than week-long teacher hunger strike, protesting the looming school closures.
Last month, the initial consolidation plan was unveiled as part of the OUSD’s plan to trim the budget as it is facing a $20 million budget deficit over two years.
District 5 Director Mike Hutchinson shared a list of closures. The draft list sparked outrage. Educational practitioners believe the quality of education will undoubtedly suffer, with Black and brown communities being hit the hardest.
Forty-three percent of students at the schools being closed or merged are Black, compared with 22% of Oakland public school students overall.
Overall, there will be seven closures, two mergers and two truncated schools. Eleven schools in total will be affected.
- Community Day School and Parker Elementary School will close at the end of this school year.
- Five more schools will close at the end of the next school year in 2023: Brookfield Elementary, Carl B. Munck Elementary, Grass Valley Elementary, Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy and Horace Mann Elementary.
- RISE Elementary will be merged into New Highland Academy Elementary for the start of the 2022-23 school year. Beginning that same school year, La Escuelita Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary will eliminate grades 6-8.
“Now is not the time to be having this conversation. Now is not the time to have a vote,” said Pal, a senior at Oakland High School, per Oaklandside.Org. “Instead of investing time to close down schools that serve majority Black and brown students, invest your time as a district to build community and to empower students to lead school improvement campaigns.”
Community leaders are demanding a meeting with Gov. Gavin Newson, who has been uncharacteristically muted on the matter.
