Comments on: Enrollment plunges in Oakland schools

By: Jim Mordecai

Jim Mordecai — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:08:17 +0000

Len Raphael:

The answer to your question is there was a statutory limit on charter schools and it was removed. President Obama has lead in removing state limits on charter schools has a condition for apply for Race to the Top grant money. He was public in supporting the idea of charter schools before he was elected and followed through when elected.

Of course ending charter schools solves no other problem than the problem charter schools create in diverting public funding for private purpose. And, it would shorten amount of time, energy and money OUSD spends on processing the never ending charter petitions that brought to OUSD school board meetings.

Jim Mordecai

By: Len Raphael

Len Raphael — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:28:07 +0000

Back in the day, members of the Alameda County Bd of Ed, got free family medical insurance. Well worth a couple of hours meeting per month. Don’t know if that’s still a perk.

By: Len Raphael

Len Raphael — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:17:43 +0000

Most of the time here, residents display impressively low expectations of Oakland’s mediocre schools, high crime, mediocre city services, police abuse, etc.

Very much “if you don’t like here, move to” Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley etc.

Yet at election time, voters become Pollyanna’s and take a couple of minutes to pick local officials based on meaningless endorsements or whether the candidate took the time to talk to them.

New residents are not as tolerant of the crime as the existing residents, but don’t see the connections between high crime, bad city services of all kinds, low tax base. Not like you can improve the schools without improving the other problems here.

Then blaming charter schools, as if the school problems didn’t exist long before charters. Or to say that if only Prop 13 could go away, all would be fine at OUSD.

Question: is there an statutory limit on the percentage of kids in charter schools? What’s to stop it from continuing to the point where most kids here are in charters?

By: Len Raphael

Len Raphael — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:57:24 +0000

the Trib/CC Times compensation database covers OUSD.
http://www.mercurynews.com/salaries/bay-area/2011
Have to read the column headings. Total cost of compensation for Anthony Smith is 352k. Navigation can be a pita. Thomas Peele who oversees it has impeccable journalist credentials.

By: Nontcair

Nontcair — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 02:40:50 +0000

I was unable to locate a budget document for a particular OUSD school which would have been “approved” by a SSC.

I believe that SSCs are statutorily required to be majority composed of school district employees (teachers and principal).

By: Nontcair

Nontcair — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 02:33:17 +0000

Someone with a high school diploma who teaches out of her kitchen apartment in West Oakland probably couldn’t even do it for that price.

By: Jesse James

Jesse James — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:06:08 +0000

Stay on the right path and you will succeed. Please don’t let bullies push you off the path; continue on. Internet access and time on one’s hands do not an expert make. If we ignore those voices of obstruction and bitterness, then they will have no consequence.

By: Observer

Observer — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:57:49 +0000

So you are saying that when the district sets the budget at a school site (ours, “we” -the families- have been told by the SSC—the idiots— that ours is $3200 per child that has been counted on the 20th day of school) either didn’t know how to read the math, is lying or the budget sent to the school from which it pays staff and programs is a lie in of itself?

By: Nontcair

Nontcair — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:40:30 +0000

Actaully, I can count on two fingers the occcasions when I stepped inside of an OUSD school during school hours.

One was Oakland High. That was in pursuit of students from that illustrious institution who had launched stones at my car windshield.

I was reminded of those “Lockup” shows on cable.

By: Nontcair

Nontcair — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:31:16 +0000

Actually, I hadn’t heard of SSC until you mentioned it. Then it wasn’t hard to find the state statutes.

SSC, PTA, BoE, and all the rest of those quasi-/public institutions are all to give the illusion that ordinary folks are in control of the schools when in fact WE KNOW that the schools are dominated by the special interests who use their influence with the legislature to get them to enact regulations which protect and financially benefit their narrow interests.

But if it makes you feel better by believing that the PTA/SSC/BOE/ETC makes a difference, then go right ahead.

As if having some say over a school’s song and colors matters.