A re-unified' Oakland City College? Merger raises questions, possibilities for cash-strapped district

"But pesky financial challenges now may lead the Peralta Community College District to merge the two schools into a single institution: Oakland City College. It is a bold new pitch, first reported by Laney's watchful student newspaper, The Peralta Citizen, that Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson introduced Aug. 14 to a collection of district staff and faculty. Peralta leaders had kicked around the idea for years but avoided discussing it in concrete terms, with bureaucratic tangles often getting in the way."

"Gilkerson, a Hayward native who previously served as Laney College's president, sees the proposed merger as a reunification, because until the mid-1960s there was just the one Oakland City College, before the Peralta district first formed. Both campuses would remain active under the new plan, but certain programs and top-level administrative positions would be slashed, leaving the district with three schools Oakland City College, Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda and the existing chancellor's office with its own set of administrators."

For decades Laney College and Merritt College built distinct identities on opposite sides of Oakland, often competing for students and athletics. Financial pressures have prompted the Peralta Community College District to consider merging the two into Oakland City College. Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson, a former Laney president, frames the proposal as a reunification of campuses that were one institution until the mid-1960s. Both campuses would remain open while some programs and senior administrative positions would be cut, leaving three district colleges plus the chancellor's office. A Board of Trustees vote could occur soon, but implementation could take years. High pension obligations and student debt defaults have weakened district finances, and a 2021 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury criticized administrative turmoil.

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