After weeks of protests and uproar from Oakland parents, teachers and students, Oakland Unified School District has voted to shutter nearly a dozen schools in the district in the face of a budget deficit.
However, the vote was a small victory for two teachers that have been on a hunger strike for the last week, their school, Westlake Middle School, was spared.
Westlake was slated to be closed as well, but at the last minute it was taken off the school merger list. While many at the school are grateful, the decision has inspired some mixed feelings.
"Any school closure is not good for the community and we need to find an alternative and have fiscal management," said Eric Chorley, a special education teacher at Westlake. "In my 32 years, there’s never been fiscal management in this district."
The vote came hours after one of the hunger striking teachers was admitted to the hospital based on abnormal lab results.
Tuesday night's meeting lasted some nine hours, and ended with a vote early Wednesday morning to close seven schools and merge two others, over a two-year period.
Most will remain open until next year, with only two to close this year – Parker Elementary School, and Community Day School.
Two of the schools will merge instead of closing altogether – RISE Community School and New Highland Academy.
The district has been under pressure to make substantial cuts after the state ruled the Alameda County Office of Education may have to intervene in the budgeting process.
Despite Westlake being spared, the striking educators have vowed to continue not eating until they are granted a meeting with Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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