Officials with the Oakland Unified School District issued a brief response over the weekend to criticism from the teachers’ union and community members about the board’s decision to uphold school closures and mergers.
Despite opposition to the plan from students, community members and educators, the board Friday night rejected a resolution that would have postponed part of the plan, which includes closing Parker K-8 and Community Day School and changing La Escuelita from a K-8 school to a K-5 school until next year.
The morning after, opponents of the plan expressed their displeasure with the decision, which they said disproportionately affects students of color. Opposition to the plan included a walkout by students at Oakland Technical High School on Feb. 11 and a hunger strike by two educators that began Feb. 1 and ended Friday.
More protests were planned for Monday, including one outside Parker Elementary in East Oakland at around 2 p.m.
District officials have said the closures are necessary due to plunging enrollment and a ballooning budget deficit.
A district spokesman over the weekend released a statement in response to critics of the closures.
“On Friday night, Feb. 18, the OUSD Board of Education upheld their previous decision from the meeting on Feb. 8. The District is focused on ensuring all impacted students have as smooth and easy a transition as possible,” the statement read.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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