District leaders emphasize the need to increase salaries, but OUSD also faces declining enrollment and attendance, which means less revenue.
Author Archives: Ashley McBride
Ashley McBride writes about education equity for The Oaklandside. Her work covers Oakland’s public district and charter schools. Before joining The Oaklandside in 2020, Ashley was a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle as a Hearst Journalism Fellow, and has held positions at the Poynter Institute and the Palm Beach Post. Ashley earned her master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Posted inEducation Equity
‘We had no one to run it’: At one Oakland school, a 5-year quest to reopen the library
Educators say libraries should be a basic part of every child’s school experience. But Oakland Unified has struggled to maintain them for decades.
Posted inEducation Equity
COVID forced OUSD’s independent study program to change. Some say for the worse.
The Sojourner Truth program previously served a couple hundred students with flexible schedules and in-person instruction. It’s been replaced by Zoom schooling for over a thousand.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland’s student vaccine mandate: Here’s what you need to know
Most OUSD students 12 and up will need to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 1 to continue going to school in person.
Posted inArts & Community
Step into the Black Panther Party’s 1968 office with OaklandVR
The team joins several other groups and individuals in commemorating the Black Panthers’ legacy in Oakland this year.
Posted inEducation Equity
Alameda County could intervene in OUSD over budget concerns
Declining enrollment and heavy reliance on one-time funds has imperiled the district’s finances, county Superintendent L.K. Monroe warned.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD is crafting a plan to better serve Black students. Have ideas?
Oakland Unified is getting ready to implement its reparations resolution for Black students, and wants to hear from the public. Here’s how to participate.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Unified considers dropping the D grade
OUSD high schoolers can graduate with Ds, but the grade bars them from admission to California’s public four-year colleges.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Tech students walk out to protest sexual assault and harassment
Students say they’re frustrated by inaction from school and district leaders to address sexual harm on their campuses.
Posted inEducation Equity
In divisive vote, Oakland school board decides students must get vaccinated to learn in person
Students will have until January 1, 2022 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or else enroll in independent study.
Posted inEducation Equity
New after-school program serves foster, immigrant, and unhoused youth in the East Bay
Project re:Fresh is the vision of Junia Kim, a former East Bay teacher who wants students to know that failure is OK.
Posted inEducation Equity
Some OUSD families question mid-year teacher reassignments
Consolidations are meant to smooth out teacher to student ratios, but some feel the process is disruptive as students are still adjusting to being back in school.
Posted inEducation Equity
‘We have to honor him through our work’: Oakland education community mourns activist Dirk Tillotson
Passionate about Black students’ success, Tillotson started and supported schools in Oakland and beyond. He died Oct. 1.
Posted inEducation Equity
How the Black Teacher Project is encouraging educators to transform schooling
The Oakland-based organization brings together Black teachers, who are underrepresented in the teaching force, for support, mentorship, and training.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Oaklanders speak on what the city’s guaranteed income program means to them
In the coming months, The Oaklandside will be periodically checking in with three participants in the city’s pilot initiative, to see how an extra $500 a month is impacting their lives.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland expands program to subsidize housing for aspiring teachers
Teachers Rooted in Oakland aims to address issues of teacher diversity, retention, and housing affordability.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Tech launches aviation program in honor of 9/11 victim, alumna
Wanda Anita Green, who graduated from Tech in 1970, died while working as a flight attendant on United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Unified could be next to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for students
A majority of the school board supports the idea, but some say a mandate will harm students who refuse by pushing them out of the classroom. A decision could be reached as soon as Sept. 22.
Posted inEducation Equity
Wildfire season is complicating efforts to keep schools safe from COVID-19
On bad air days, schools are instructed to close windows and doors and let the air purifiers work. But during the pandemic, that solution comes with its own problems.
Posted inEducation Equity
Attendance and enrollment numbers in Oakland Unified show decline
While the data is preliminary, district officials are worried about the implications for OUSD’s financial stability.
