The Oakland school board voted against a proposal to delay the closure of two public schools and the truncation of three grades at another until next year as part of a special meeting on Friday night.
Community Day School and Parker K-8 will close down at the end of this school year, and La Escuelita Elementary will eliminate its middle school and reopen as a K-5 school in the fall.
Three Oakland Unified School District officials, including Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammel, introduced an amendment that would close Community Day School, Parker K-8 and remove sixth, seventh and eighth grades at La Escuelita ahead of the 2023-24 school year. Rise Community Elementary and New Highland Academy Elementary would still merge at the end of this year.
The Board of Education met at 6:30 p.m. on Friday via video conference and after hours of debate and community speakers, the board shot down the proposal to delay school closures.
After and amid public outcry, the board voted to close seven schools, reduce grades at two and merge two others on Feb. 8. Four members voted in favor, with two opposing and one director abstaining. The district originally considered closing, merging and consolidating 15 schools.
An Oakland Unified School District spokesperson told KCBS Radio's Kathy Novak that many in the community had asked the board to consider delaying the closures scheduled for this year until 2023. Board President Gary Yee wanted to give the board the option.
Students, teachers and parents have protested the plans every step of the way, including after the Feb. 8 vote, arguing that the decisions were rushed and disproportionately impacted the district's Black and Latino students. The Oakland Education Association threatened a possible strike, while also announcing it would file a legal complaint to challenge the district's "reckless decision."
On Thursday, hundreds of Oakland Education Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union members protested the planned closures, and the City Council's eventual 6-2 certification of an environmental impact report for the Oakland Athletics' Howard Terminal project, outside of City Hall.
Two Westlake Middle School teachers have been holding a hunger strike since the beginning of the month, soon after Westlake appeared on an initial list of schools to be closed. Westlake wasn't included in the Feb. 8 vote, but their strike continued.
Andre San-Chez, the school's choir director, and Moses Omolade, the community school manager, told KCBS Radio's Kathy Novak on Friday they will end their strike after the school board votes. They said the protest and community action were a success, forcing the school board back to the table.
"The hunger strike was, like, the tip of the arrow," San-Chez said in an interview, "and this meeting is happening to satisfy our demand."
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