Kaiser Elementary student body is a community that reflects the city of Oakland's diversity: socio-economically, racially and culturally.  Comparing the 2010 Census of Oakland to the Kaiser Elementary student body indicates that Kaiser truly reflects the diversity of Oakland.  Kaiser's enrollment is 10% Latino, 10% Asian, 35% African American, 27% White and 16% multi-racial.

Kaiser Elementary is a safe place for many families who did not feel safe at other schools. 10% of the families at kaiser are run by same sex heads of household. These families, along with families who have children of non-normative gender identity, did not feel welcome, safe and/or a sense of community in their local neighborhood schools.  They chose Kaiser, or were steered toward Kaiser by OUSD administrators who knew their families and their children would feel safe, supported and ready to learn. There are few similar options for these families in the OUSD.

Schools with lower neighborhood attendance do not necessarily correlate with low need for a school in that area. 76 Kaiser students--more than one quarter--come from neighborhoods which also have their local schools slated for closure. You are asking these families to sacrifice both their local school and the high performing school they attend.  Until OUSD  brings fruition its vision for high-quality schools in every neighborhood, OUSD is in HIGH need of a district option that allows parents in low-performing schools to have access to a high-performing school. For many families, closing Kaiser would take one of their few truly accessible options to a great public education off the table.

Kaiser is a high achieving school, with an API of 885, well above the state's goal of 800. Our African American students (our only significant subgroup) also exceeded the state's API goal, with a score of 816.

Of OUSD's 101 schools, there are only eight high performing schools (with an API over 800) that serve more than 33% African American students. Of these schools, only four have achieved an API above 800 for their African American sub-groups: Carl B. Munck, Kaiser, Burkhalter, and Parker. Two of these schools are included for closure.

What OUSD Hopes to Accomplish:

Provide more children with quality school options

Encourage more families to choose OUSD schools

Create a sustainable school district that produces for all children

Deploy staff and money more efficiently and use the savings to invest more resources in Oakland schools

What Closing Kaiser Would Do:

Eliminate a quality school option for nearly 300 students

Drive families out of OUSD. Many families would move to private, charter, or other districts

Cause upheaval for Kaiser students and those at receiving schools, while disrupting a program that already produces results for all children

Save the district far less than anticipated since Kaiser is a cost-effective school with a budget that is always in the black, year after year.

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