Oakland parents, students march on school board to demand schools not be closed.

[madfloridian]

It doesn't seem they were heard, but they tried. It will be a long process, taking back our schools. This is a step along the way.

Angry crowd demands the Oakland school board keep schools open


Parents, teachers and students march along Broadway in Oakland, Calif., to demand that the school board abandon its plan to close five of the district's elementary schools, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. The march concluded at Oakland Technical High School, where the board was holding its weekly meeting. (D. Ross Cameron/Staff)

The contentious meeting was held in Oakland Technical High School's large auditorium, and the extra space was needed. Hundreds of teachers, families and other supporters arrived at the meeting en masse, after marching together up Broadway from Mosswood Park.

Even before the meeting started, they began chanting: "Save our schools!"

..""Having too many underfunded schools is not a good strategy," Smith said.

But many urged the board to reject the plan, arguing that the closure of historic neighborhood schools and the displacement of 1,000 students and staff members was not worth the $2
million annual savings the superintendent has projected.

"This plan is a complete lie. Every word of this plan is a lie," said Mark Airgood, an Edna Brewer Middle School teacher and organizer with the organization By Any Means Necessary, which has been a regular presence at board meetings.

They have their preset goals in mind, planned well ahead of time. They must close the public schools in order to transform them into charters. They must make it look like schools are failing, else they could not get anyone on board.

They have done a magnificent job in their propaganda.

[Laluchacontinua]

1. They should make common cause with Occupy Oakland. It's the same universe

of protest, the same root evil.

[madfloridian]

3. They probably will do that.

Good idea.

[XemaSab]

2. Lakeview is totally a failing school

When I went there there were 6th graders shooting up in the bathroom during lunch.

[madfloridian]

4. Schools like that can be helped if resources are given and not taken away.

I have seen it happen to schools I know about. But if you keep cutting funds and resources that makes it worse.

In our area the charters send the kids who don't perform right back to the public schools so they can deal with them.