In October, district-mandated consolidations led to the loss of a Spanish teacher at Oakland High and caused scheduling chaos for over 170 students and a dozen teachers. Now, school admin has rehired him for a different role as an ELD newcomer teacher.

Oakland High had missed the enrollment target by 30 students, which supposedly justified cutting a teacher with over a hundred students in his caseload. But with up to 50 newcomer students arriving this semester, the cut appears ever more irrational.

Across the district, consolidations have increased workloads, caused chaos, shuffled staff roles and students’ schedules, and damaged parents’ trust in their public schools. OUSD’s current logic of consolidations and austerity is a death spiral for Oakland public schools – a different course of action is necessary.

We are demanding that OUSD first stop all consolidations in the middle of the school year, and then altogether. Rather than create disruption and chaos in Oakland’s public schools and a windfall for private charter schools, the district must commit to providing more resources to schools struggling with student recruitment, not less.