Comments on: The Big Freeze in Oakland schools

By: CAteacher

CAteacher — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 20:43:23 +0000

As a CA teacher for the last three decades having taught in LA and the Bay Area, I have never had a classroom with adequate heating/cooling. However, every single administrator I’ve ever worked for, from principal to superintendent, has enjoyed seasonally appropriate conditions in nicely appointed, clean offices. I will say that I have never worked anywhere but “inner city” schools with “diverse” populations.

By: ChocolateSebastian

ChocolateSebastian — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:35:53 +0000

Oakland Teacher, that is not corrrect. The Special Education TAP program is there. That is an SDC classroom. The workability programs/classrooms for severely handicapped students are located there also.

By: Oakland Teacher

Oakland Teacher — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:00:34 +0000

fyi #13- there are no classrooms at the Marcus Foster Site. It is used for offices for Programs for Exceptional Children. It used to be a middle school a long time ago, but no students have had classrooms there for many years.

By: Harold

Harold — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:53:00 +0000

@nextset – instead of “acting white” how about: reclaiming your academic prowess? The algebra/geometry used to build those pyramids in Cairo, didn’t come from Europe!

By: ChocolateSebastian

ChocolateSebastian — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:18:38 +0000

I did not intend to be uncivil in post #13. It is important to note that both Superintendent Smith and Mr Chatmon repeatedly talk about their children attending OUSD schools in public forums to demonstrate their integration and investment in Oakland. They both also present themselves as reformers dedicated to closing the achievement gap, yet their children are benefiting from the class and income gap in the District. Mr Smith’s policy’s indicate that he believes ineffective teachers are one of the primary causes of the achievement gap – so take all the “effective ” teachers from the Hills schools and reassign them to raise scores in the low achieving schools in the flats.
Open up the Hills schools to a full lottery process. Walk your rhetoric!

By: gee yu

gee yu — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:54:32 +0000

ChocolateSebastian thank for telling it like it is…why did’t the new director of PEC.. get these kids help sounds like she just like the one that just left……
Nextset if a teacher complaints about the poor conditions at their school like: rats, cockroches(roosevelt jr)mice, ants to their admin theteachers are told we’ll look into it and walk away…….channel 4 had a story about it too maybe workers need to be hired back instead of being cut razor thinnnnnn

By: JR

JR — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:24:25 +0000

What school the policy makers children attend couldn’t be more relevant than it is now. What you are beginning to see is the accelerated stratification of society.(a little OT) What is disturbing is that public tax money has been confiscated to create a wealthy(out of touch) elite class funded entirely on the taxpayers backs. Public sector finances have gone from living wage to fair compensation and now its about obscene wealth. I find nothing obscene about wealth created in the private sector where the free market governs, but in the public sector it is a different matter entirely.

By: Nextset

Nextset — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:50:44 +0000

I disagree with Harold. Where the children of policy makers at OUSD attend school is relevant for this thread of poor maintenance at other OUSD schools.

It’s not a transgression of privacy to mention it. It’s not like Chocolate Sebastian even mentioned the children’s names, ages, SS#, etc.

It’s a big issue that the policy makers run the schools one way, or take policy positions on such things as diversity and such, then live their own lives (family too) is a way indicating a less than complete devotion to these principles.

At least it’s fair game for discussion.

The major issue of this thread is why are these things happening. My answer of course is that this and a lot more are happening because black children are not valued because the liberals know (or believe) they are heading to a certain fate anyway so why fight with them to avoid it.

I’m the one saying yes, “we” should fight with them (ghetto students and their parent) to get better outcomes for the black and brown students. And by “fighting with” I mean forcing the kiddies to “act white” for awhile whether they like it or not. Of course this would be considered revolutionary now. Not in 1960 it wouldn’t. Does this have anything to do with maintaining clean bathrooms and adequate heat in the classrooms? It seems like it does to me. When the schools get away with letting things go (Black English, etc..) it’s a short drop to letting everything go (the heat, etc).

It sounds like OUSD is letting everything go. At least in certain schools.

Which is why it’s interesting which schools the children of the “educators” attend, and relevant to this debate.

By: Harold

Harold — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:06:17 +0000

comment #13 is “out-of-line”. Can we be civil and keep the private lives, of public people, out of the debate?

By: A M Adams

A M Adams — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:10:26 +0000

The log states that the heating issue at Yuk Yau CDC has been resolved. We still have no heat in the building.