Plan to shutter five schools reversed, but a new analysis shows it was a costly decision.
Earlier this month, Oakland Unified’s newly seated school board voted to rescind the controversial closures of five elementary schools, which — because of budget constraints and declining student enrollment — the previous board had slated to shutter later this year.
Last February, the state’s Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team reported that the district was facing a budget shortfall of more than $60 million per year, and that across the district, nearly 40% of all elementary schools had fewer than 304 students, the number needed to keep schools sustainable. The five elementary schools due to close — Brookfield Elementary, Carl B.
“I’m ready, like so many other community members and mothers of kids affected by school closures to finally be able to move forward and start the healing process for the trauma of the last 11 months,” said Meghan Langston, whose child attends Hillcrest Elementary, which was slated to lose its middle school before the vote was versed.
Now, Oakland Unified is in a similar, yet different sort of operating arrangement — though it still owes money to the state, the district now runs under the authority of the county, and a financial trustee monitors and reviews district operations. That trustee, Luz Cazares, still has the power to rescind any decision the school board makes.
“There’s been a lot of voices about no school closures,” said Senn. “But if the state takes over, the decision about which schools, or how many schools, won’t be the public’s decision. And that’s a big loss.” Despite such statistics, critics of the school closures have long said that doing so would not save the district as much money as anticipated, and that the costs associated with shifting students from one school to another would add up. But even so, the school board is continuing to grapple with its options, and how to accommodate schools that are both under-attended and under-resourced.
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