OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – In a stunning turnaround, newly elected members of the Oakland school board have reversed a plan to close five schools that were on the chopping block this year.
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It wasn't that long ago that the Alameda Office of Education threatened to take over Oakland's budget if the district couldn't cut tens of millions of dollars. That was the reason for the original plan to close or consolidate nearly a dozen schools.
Now in its first big decision of the year, five schools that were supposed to close were spared thanks to a reconstituted school board, some of who ran to stop the closures that they said would disproportionately impact Black and brown kids.
Among those spared were Brookfield Elementary, Carl B. Munck Elementary, Grass Valley, Horace Mann Elementary and Korematsu Discovery Academy. Schools that already closed last year — Parker and Community Day — will remain shuttered.
Valerie Baxter is one of the newly elected school board members who watched the fight over Parker last summer. "I saw just the devastation that it caused our community and I just didn't want that to happen to any more of our schools," she said. "District six was deeply affected by the first round of school closures. Both schools that closed were in our district, Parker and Community Day, both serving students that really needed that support and so I didn’t want that to happen anymore, especially in deep East Oakland."
A dwindling student population means most schools are under enrolled, and since the state pays districts according to enrollment, some schools are costing more to operate than they bring in, but things are looking better as the district said it should be able to meet its budget for the next two years.
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