The Oakland Unified Board of Education is reviewing a new proposal that would divert millions of dollars in unused funds from an infrastructure bond to address the lead contamination issue plaguing many of its schools.
I am excited about the prospect of utilizing Measure Y funds for lead, emphasizing that this should be the district's top infrastructure improvement priority. This is a needed first step to address the crisis that is causing our students to be poisoned by lead in the water.
Even if the board approves using the measure's funds for lead treatment, it may not be enough to address the full scale of the problem - in a previous meeting, the district estimated that a complete remediation could cost as much as $53 million.
The board's consideration of the proposal aligns with a landmark Biden administration announcement Tuesday, requiring virtually every water utility in the nation to install new pipes within the next 10 years.
Collection
[
|
...
]