Opinion: Oakland's dysfunctional school board is failing our children

"Only one in three Oakland Unified students are reading at grade level, while just over one in four are proficient in math. For Black and Brown children, who make up over two-thirds of the district, the outcomes are even more alarming. Instead of relentlessly focusing on this, Oakland's public schools are in permanent crisis. This is a failure of leadership by those elected to steward our district: our school board."

"Governance is difficult. Budgets require trade-offs, labor negotiations are complex, and restructuring how the district operates carries real human costs. What we are now witnessing from the current OUSD board majority, however, is not ordinary gridlock. Board President Jennifer Brouhard, along with Valarie Bachelor, Rachel Latta, and VanCedric Williams, comprise the current voting majority. They know the magnitude of the deficit and how it threatens to send Oakland back into state receivership only months after finally regaining local control."

Oakland Unified students show low academic achievement: one in three read at grade level and just over one in four are proficient in math, with Black and Brown students faring worse. The district has endured three strikes in seven years and faces another potential strike, disrupting learning, family life, and community. OUSD spends approximately $27,000 per student yet cycles through fiscal emergencies while program quality and confidence decline. The current school board majority is criticized for avoiding difficult structural decisions and instead implementing cuts that remove critical staff, student supports, and electives, undermining stability and outcomes.

Read at The Mercury News