Comments on: Wednesday: Study session on Oakland school closures

By: JG

JG — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:05:25 +0000

Just because a school is small does not necessarily make it better. A very good small school through its reputation soon becomes a bigger school. Some of the top scoring schools in the district are larger than most. I can see some merit to having small schools where every child gets personalized attention especially where the children are very needy of services. To be honest, there is no guarantee that it happens. In the meantime, the district does not have the money to provide counselors, nurses, field trips, professional librarians, physical education teachers, more custodians, better facilities, etc. in many schools. A school serving disadvantaged children need more services not a small student body. Do we have confidence that the board can provide a leaner, better managed district with less schools? It seems that they are not promising a better education, just treading to stay afloat. Clearly, if we do nothing to lower overhead, it will be a financial diaster that will not benefit the hills or flatlands.

By: Alice Spearman

Alice Spearman — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:47:52 +0000

All,
Again, the Board will be hearing all suggestion. In the end there most likley will be a combination of school configurations.
I don’t know who can remember when the district moved from Junior High to Middle Schools, moving 6th graders from elementary schools. I almost had a fit, that year it effected my youngest daughter, (I am still not convinced it was a good idea), so I feel the concerns of a K-8. But who knows what things will look like, and there will be options for parents to consider.
There will be equity in the decisions made.

By: Michael L. Moore, Sr.

Michael L. Moore, Sr. — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:49:01 +0000

I applaud the Superintendent and the Board of Education for having the courage to tackle this complex emotional issue.

MLM

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:28:13 +0000

@ Concerned: I feel for you, the other teachers at Manzanita and most of all, the students at Manzanita. I can see how you probably feel it was a broken promise to the neighborhood and students at the school when it was broken into two small schools to meet the needs of the students and now there are two very distinct populations of students and one of the schools, Manzanita Community will be taken away. I feel for you, I really do.

However, in the primary grades roughly a quarter are reading at grade level and just over half are doing math at grade level. Only 15% of fifth graders are proficient in science. There has to be a better way to educate the students from the neighborhood who begin school without having the basic letter-sound correlation. In a larger school, there are more resources for reading and math resource teachers, after school programs that have credentialed teachers and will mix the classes so that all students have a chance to work with students that have many levels of learning.

All of that said, I wish the communities could keep the schools they were promised.

By: Ann Ferrari

Ann Ferrari — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 04:39:36 +0000

When would these new K-8 schools start? I have a current 5th grader, and am quite curious and interested!

By: Ms. McLaughlin

Ms. McLaughlin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:11:43 +0000

Wonderful points, JG and Catherine. I hadn’t considered that fifth graders might be more comfortable continuing in the schools they’d attended since kindergarten than they would starting out in new middle schools. I also didn’t realize that there were parents who WANT K-8 schools in Oakland, so it’s probably time for me to sit back and learn here. For those parents whose children have attended K-8 schools, what was the transition to high school like? Did the students face any unique challenges we should be aware of?

And Ms. Spearman, I surely hadn’t meant to point any fingers at you! I don’t envy the burden you have, trying to make all the numbers work, and by the way, it’s always good to see you here.

By: Nextset

Nextset — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:42:18 +0000

Death spiral. Just like the post office.

By: Concerned

Concerned — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:55:01 +0000

At Catherine youre saying the interest of tbe kids
They are serving! Yes, a k-8 is fine but with SEED being and will
be a dual immersion school, the needs of all neighborhood kids
Are not going to be met. Where will those kids go that do not want dual
Immersion? Off to the other schools and crowd them? Has the district
really considered the impact of these kids with single parents, parents that walk etc?
MCS will probably not be there next year so the district can cater to the white families so they dont leave the district!!! To the district, David Montez, abd Tony Smith FIRST CATER TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS BEFORE CATERING TO THE FAMIELIES WITH MORE RESOURCES….IF YOU KNOW HIW TO PLAY THE POLITICS GAME In OUSD YOU GET WHATEVER YOU WANT AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS!!!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:30:40 +0000

I have long asked for a school that serves the needs of advanced students. While I agree that 11 year olds and 19 year olds do not necessarily belong together, I know many advanced students whose families would gladly accept this alternative to leaving the OUSD system to meet the educational needs for their students.

For students that are underachieving and need more guidance, more time to make good choices, and who may have been admitted to kindergarten at 4, thus begin traditional middle school at 10, a k-8 school makes sense to meet their needs.

Many of us, me included, have been critical of OUSD for doing the same thing for decades and expecting different outcomes, closing and combining schools and making different schools to meet different needs is a start. I remember there was a contingent on this blog who had a lot to say about Hillcrest being the only k-8 school in the district and how it was only the rich who could afford that type of school. This board is now trying to create equitable k-8 options for many students.

I am not happy about empty school buildings. I am not happy we are in this situation. However, I am deeply grateful the school board is working in the best interest of the students they are serving in this district rather than the teachers, principals, parents, consultants and community. It is time that we begin looking at the best ways to educate our unique group of Oakland students.

By: Alice Spearman

Alice Spearman — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:55:35 +0000

All,
OUSD cannot support all the school they have now. This is just a study session for the board to consider all suggestions/comments regarding the issue of closure/consolidation of our schools, then set criteria for the closure/consolodation of any school. We know that this will be a highly emotional subject, however the fact remains the district has to do this in order to maintain financial stability and also increase the academic achievement of our lowest performing students, and maintain the increased acheivement of our highest achieveing students. There has to be equity in making the decisions also. Many will not be happy with the eventual decisions, including some board memebers, me included. However it does not change the fact that changes are needed, there will be changes made in the near future.