Sports4Kids at Manzanita Community School/Tribune file photo

From a lively, uh, discussion tonight between Oakland school board member Alice Spearman and Chief Academic Officer Brad Stam about Sports4Kids (now Playworks) emerged the beginnings of a philosophical debate about what is “necessary” for Oakland schools in the context of severe and ongoing budget cuts.

Earlier in the evening, the board had discussed the superintendent’s proposed priorities — a set of goals that will theoretically help the board and staff know where to cut $27 million-plus from next year’s budget.

Spearman had also singled out, from a long list of vendors, a few Sports4Kids contracts with individual schools. What she didn’t realize was that in June, before the school district emerged (mostly) from state control, State Administrator Vince Matthews approved a $727,500 master contract with the organization, which runs games and activities at 25 elementary schools in the mornings, after school and at recess.

According to Cindy Wilson, Playworks’ communications director, the organization charges each school a flat fee of $23,500. Since the number of participating Oakland schools went from 40 to 25 this year, Playworks will receive $587,500, less than the total amount allowed under the master contract.

(Side note: An old Sports4Kids Web page lists Oakland Superintendent Tony Smith Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a sobering statistic: Of the 2,890-plus Oakland Unified students who live in West Oakland, 1,270 attend schools in other parts of the city, according to school district data.

That’s 44 percent, and it doesn’t count children who go to public charter schools or private schools — or to Berkeley Unified, for that matter.

What to do? A new group of city, school and county officials and community leaders has formed to revitalize public schools in West Oakland during a time of ongoing budget cuts ($27 million out of next year’s OUSD budget).

The group is called the West Oakland Brain Trust, and it was convened this fall by school board member Jumoke Hinton Hodge, who represents District 3.

Some of OUSD’s top dogs came to its Tuesday morning meeting. Superintendent Tony Smith Read the rest of this entry »

This morning, eight Oakland schools opened with fewer teachers than they had on Friday — and not because of sudden resignations.

There’s a word for the teacher and student reshuffling that happened today: consolidation. It happens when fewer kids enroll at a given school than expected and the school’s budget is in the red. Troy Flint, the district spokesman, said the decision is made centrally, and is done “as a last resort.”

In all, 11 employees were told to pack up their classrooms, and all of their students were sent to other teachers. Last year at this time, five teachers were consolidated. Read the rest of this entry »

NOTE: OUSD spokesman Troy Flint says that while closure or merger is a possibility for each school, the district is not planning to recommend this outcome for all of the focus schools. Other possibilities include increasing enrollment, support, etc. So, the same as in previous years.

OUSD has released an updated list of schools that have not measured up academically, that have too few students to be financially viable, or both. They’re called “Focus Schools,” but as anyone who’s ever been on the list knows, it really spells the possibility of a merger or closure. Especially now, when the district is looking to cut $27 million from next year’s budget.

The list doesn’t look much different from last year’s, even though the criteria have changed slightly: Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Laura A. Oda/Tribune Staff

This morning, I saw a School Safety Patrol in action outside the Manzanita elementary school campus in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood. The safety operation seemed to be working well enough, but it wasn’t until the volunteers had packed up and left the intersection (after the morning rush) that I realized how important their presence was.

Tony Smith recently said that when he visit schools, he sometimes takes a lap around Read the rest of this entry »

A music class at Montclair Elementary School, taken in 2008 by Alex Molloy/Tribune

This morning I headed up the hill to Oakland’s Montclair Elementary School on a research mission, aided by Principal Nancy Bloom.

It all started when a parent pitched a story about the Montclair PTA’s annual all-day fundraiser, the Metrathon (that’s happening Oct. 17), and its tied-for-first-place API score of 957. I don’t normally cover fundraisers – don’t get any ideas! – but after I hung up the phone, I decided to see for myself how the work of a powerhouse parent group can manifest itself at a school.

Let’s start with the front stoop. A large planter overflowing (intentionally, of course) with beautiful greenery. Step inside, and the first thing you see is a bulletin board with photos of parents and families at the Back-to-School Coffee, the New Parent Party, and Play Dates in the Park. Next on the wall are a list of fee-based before and after school language courses: Mandarin, Italian and Spanish. Read the rest of this entry »

Mission figs, anyone? Every Tuesday afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Glenview Elementary School kids crowd a tent with locally grown fruits and vegetables. (These lovely photos from parent Joseph Bansuelo are so last week, but we took some new ones during a visit today.) The PTA started the new produce stand, which is run by volunteers, including Carol Kuelper, a woman from the neighborhood who doesn’t even have kids at the school.

I saw one little boy tear into a red cabbage like an apple (makes for a great photo, but a rather challenging interview), and another buying greens that his mom requested for dinner tonight. He told me that grapes were so sweet — and cheap — that he ate them “for fun.”

About 10 more of these weekly farmers markets are opening at Oakland schools this year, thanks in part to funding from the East Bay Asian Youth Center. What kind of nutritional progress are you seeing at your school (and at your school’s cafeteria)? Are you noticing an improvement? Tell us about it.

Some more of Bansuelo’s photos of Glenview’s stand below: Read the rest of this entry »

Kristopher Skinner, a staff photographer, took these photos today at Crocker Highlands Elementary School and Oakland High. (He had to leave for another assignment before we arrived at Lafayette Elementary.)

Read the rest of this entry »

photo of Washington Elementary in Alameda by Laura A. Oda/Staff

This morning, I tagged along with Oakland’s new superintendent, Tony Smith, as he visited Oakland High and Lafayette Elementary on the first day of the semester. Things seemed to be running smoothly at both schools; I’m sure Smith was relieved to see that Oakland High, which is undergoing major renovations and construction, was all cleaned up and ready for Day 1 – as he promised concerned teacher union leaders that it would be.

O High’s new principal, Alicia Romero, was busy making sure kids were showing their ID tags (most wore them around their necks) and, of course, getting to their next class on time.  “Look like you’re worried!” she told the stragglers.

What’s going on at your school? Got any reports for us?

Lincoln Elementary, a California Distinguished School in Oakland’s Chinatown, celebrated its new wing yesterday — a two-story building with 12 classrooms. It’s one of several schools that has undergone major construction with extra funding from local taxpayers.

Read the rest of this entry »