The school board finally backed down and Kaiser Elementary is staying open. We forced the brass at OUSD to listen to us instead of gutting our community for their own convenience. Celebrate this win tonight but keep your eyes open because we are not finished holding them accountable.
November 8, 2011
Final supporters
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.
Please Support Kaiser Elementary! Keep It Open!
Updates
September 20, 2011
The momentum we have built makes it clear that the bureaucrats at OUSD cannot ignore this community anymore. They think they can force these closures quietly but they are dead wrong. We are coming for them and we will not let them destroy the only safe space our kids have left.
Reached 100 supporters
September 20, 2011
6 Comments
KEEP KAISER OPEN. Its the only place in the city where my son actually feels safe and accepted for who he is. We need this school.
This school is the heart of our community. My kids love it here and I cant imagine them going anywhere else. Please dont tear this family apart.
Kaiser is just special. The teachers really know the kids and you can tell they care. Closing it would be a huge mistake for Oakland.
STOP CLOSING SCHOOLS. Oakland families deserve better.
Why do they always want to shut down the good ones? My daughter is thriving here and the culture is like nowhere else.
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The school board finally backed down and Kaiser Elementary is staying open. We forced the brass at OUSD to listen to us instead of gutting our community for their own convenience. Celebrate this win tonight but keep your eyes open because we are not finished holding them accountable.
November 8, 2011
Final supporters
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.
Please Support Kaiser Elementary! Keep It Open!
Updates
September 20, 2011
The momentum we have built makes it clear that the bureaucrats at OUSD cannot ignore this community anymore. They think they can force these closures quietly but they are dead wrong. We are coming for them and we will not let them destroy the only safe space our kids have left.
Reached 100 supporters
September 20, 2011
6 Comments
My son went to Kaiser Elementary, and I hope my daughter can now go there as well. It's a gem of a school, and is the only small size public school that I know of in the neighborhood. There are cost efficiencies that come from larger schools, but the learning and social benefits that come from a small size school are equal if not outweigh those. Please keep Kaiser Elementary open!
KEEP KAISER OPEN. Its the only place in the city where my son actually feels safe and accepted for who he is. We need this school.
This school is the heart of our community. My kids love it here and I cant imagine them going anywhere else. Please dont tear this family apart.
Kaiser is just special. The teachers really know the kids and you can tell they care. Closing it would be a huge mistake for Oakland.
STOP CLOSING SCHOOLS. Oakland families deserve better.
Why do they always want to shut down the good ones? My daughter is thriving here and the culture is like nowhere else.
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My son went to Kaiser Elementary, and I hope my daughter can now go there as well. It's a gem of a school, and is the only small size public school that I know of in the neighborhood. There are cost efficiencies that come from larger schools, but the learning and social benefits that come from a small size school are equal if not outweigh those. Please keep Kaiser Elementary open!