The Struggle Against School Closures

Green Sunday: The Struggle Against School Closures

The Oakland Unified School District board majority has again moved to close schools this school year, with others looming in the near future. As with other rounds of such arbitrary action (most recently in 2019), the brunt of such austerity measures is felt in flatland schools overwhelmingly populated by black and brown students.

This presentation will review the history of state takeovers of school districts in California over the last several decades, especially in Oakland, and the current struggles against school closures.

* Mike Hutchinson is a long time education and community activist in Oakland, He is a founder of OPEN (Oakland Public Education Network) and is currently a school board member for District 5 and a key leader in the fight against school closures

* Hillary Chen is a community and anti-racist activist involved in the Oakland Education Association (OEA), East Bay DSA and Action 2020. She is currently teaching at Parker Elementary School in East Oakland, one of the schools targeted to be closed this year.

* Jack Gerson is a retired Oakland teacher who writes on and analyzes issues related to education, politics, public health and the pandemic . Before retiring, he was on the executive board and bargaining team of the Oakland teachers union (OEA). Among other things, he helped organize OEA's campaign to bail out schools not banks and end foreclosures, and the Occupy Oakland education committee's 18 day occupation of Lakeview Elementary in 2012 to protest school closures.

Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics "du jour" sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month.