Anyone who’s been around OUSD has heard the slogan “No School Closures!” This was also one of the main demands of the 2019 OEA strike. Over twenty public schools have been closed in OUSD since 2004, and most of them have been converted to charters, which are de facto private schools with public funding. We are told that Oakland has “too many schools,” and “declining enrollment,” making it seem as if school closures are a wise economizing policy. In fact, Oakland’s overall school enrollment has increased in the last few decades—but it is being shifted from public to charter schools.

In the last 15 years, national charter school enrollment has increased sixfold. In 2016, 270 public schools were closed nationwide, while 400 charter schools were opened. The charter industry is backed by billionaires like the Waltons and Bloomberg, and by Wall Street finance firms, who are trying to divert as much of the $700+ billion education tax dollars as they can into their portfolios.

As if the public education system was not discriminatory and racist enough, the charter industry is making things much worse. As charters proliferate, the education system suffers increasing inequality, segregation, and waste of already-inadequate funding. In Oakland, the waste caused by a dual public-charter district amounts to $57 million a year that could have been invested in our classrooms.

In 2022, OUSD announced its intent to close at least 18 public schools. Facing overwhelming community opposition, the district shortened the closure list, but still closed Parker Elementary, La Escuelita 6-8, and Community Day School. In response, OEA members organized a one-day strike.
With the richest people in the world trying to dismantle public education, it’s hard to imagine Oakland educators fighting back. But the last decades of struggle can teach us that we can stop closures and privatization if we take a collective stand! (by Rank & File Caucus)