OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) - Some Oakland Unified School District students, staff, and parents are concerned their school could close as soon as the end of this school year.
On Tuesday, the OUSD School Board will have a special meeting to vote on the potential consolidation of several schools.
KRON4 spoke to one school board member that says people are scared and worried about these potential closures.
He says it's a very important meeting, it's happening over Zoom and he's encouraging everyone to attend.
“It's especially important to understand that this has just been dropped on us in the last month and that's why there's been no timeline and no discussion," Mike Hutchinson said.
At a special school board meeting on Tuesday, school board members could vote to consolidate some Oakland Unified School District schools.
School board director Mike Hutchinson shared a list with KRON4 and the community. He told me it shouldn't be a secret.
“Now that the community sees what's going on--they are not very happy," Hutchinson said. "It's been a shock to the families in these schools because they attend these schools, they choose these schools."
If approved, many of the schools would close at the end of this school year. People with connections to the schools have questions.
“How come we're not getting the resources we need? How come we are under threat for closure? Why don't we deserve the same resources as other neighborhoods?" Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson tells me these closures were just put in motion about a month ago when five other board directors approved a resolution that directed the superintendent to create a list of schools to close.
He is against the closures and says the district has the funds to keep the schools open.
"The official budget number from OUSD, at the end of the 20-21 school year – OUSD had a budget surplus of $43.9 million," Hutchinson said. “We are not in financial crisis."
KRON4 asked why some of his colleagues may vote in favor of the closure, this was his response:
“It is their job to actually have a justification for why they're doing this."
KRON4 reached out to the president and the vice-president of the board. Neither has responded yet.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/tmC7OVu
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