The school district is poised to pay off its 20-year-old state loan and be free of extra fiscal oversight, but it must make careful spending decisions to avoid another takeover.
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
Oakland passed a historic youth voter measure in 2020. Will teens finally cast their first votes this year?
“A bright spot for a very complex year in democracy.”
Posted inArts & Community
Photos: These dazzling West Oakland murals ask, ‘If you were a superhero, how would you fix your community?’
The Center for ArtEsteem has been working since 2012 to paint five 200-by-20-foot murals under the interstate in the Hoover-Foster neighborhood.
Posted inEducation Equity
‘We are not closing’: North Oakland Community Charter School files lawsuit against OUSD
The small North Oakland school is hoping to stay open for its 25th year and beyond.
Posted inEducation Equity
Map: Where Oakland kids can get free food this summer
Children 18 and younger can get lunches and snacks throughout the summer at community centers, libraries, recreation centers, and schools.
Posted inEducation Equity
Now playing: Free filmmaking and production classes for East Bay high schoolers
The REEL Film Program works with high schools in Oakland and across the East Bay helping students write and shoot their own short films.
Posted inEducation Equity
Becoming a teacher in Alameda County can be expensive. A new program costs just $42 a month
The partnership between the county and Reach University is aimed at those who already work in schools and have a bachelor’s degree but haven’t earned a credential.
Posted inPublic Safety
3 shot after Skyline High School graduation, Oakland police arrest 1
Police are looking for additional shooters. OUSD’s remaining graduations will have increased security, said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland teachers can’t afford to live here. This housing program offers them ‘room to breathe’
Teachers Rooted in Oakland has helped dozens of educators find a place to live in Oakland’s rental market and helped them pay for it.
Posted inEducation Equity
Schools can look and feel like prisons. This project wants to change that, one mural at a time
Art teacher John Leamy III is filling the hallways of Bret Harte Middle School with murals of local and national heroes.
Posted inEducation Equity
Know an Oakland youth leader making positive change? We want to spotlight them
The Oaklandside is looking for young activists and organizers who are spearheading change at their school and in the community.
Posted inEducation Equity
North Oakland Community Charter School could close
The school agreed to shut down if it didn’t raise test scores. Then the pandemic happened.
Posted inEducation Equity
How are violence prevention efforts in Oakland schools working?
It’s too early to tell—an independent study is underway—but city and OUSD officials are cautiously optimistic about violence prevention efforts.
Posted inEducation Equity
Emiliano Zapata Street Academy celebrates half a century in Oakland
Graduates and current and former staff recently came together to recognize the school’s life-changing impact.
Posted inEducation Equity
Young singers take center stage in second annual East Oakland Vocal Festival
The showcase is part of an effort to revive the legacy of vocal performance in East Oakland, led by Elevate Oakland and Town Business Inc., two local organizations that support arts and music education in public schools.
Posted inEducation Equity
Reading rivalry: Oakland students face off in OUSD’s first Battle of the Books
6 OUSD elementary schools, plus two private schools, came together for a cross-community book club and competition.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland school board inches closer to school mergers
As labor unions warn of a strike, OUSD’s trustee threatened to hold up contract negotiations if the board doesn’t accelerate its closure and merger process.
Posted inEducation Equity
Transitional kindergarten is growing in Oakland to meet increased demand
As California gradually widens the eligibility for transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds, OUSD must make room for them at many already-full campuses.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland’s school year calendar is changing again
But the district and teachers union say this latest tweak better responds to the needs of families and staff.
Posted inEducation Equity
Samuel Merritt University takes a bet on downtown Oakland with new campus
The 115-year-old health sciences school is doubling down on Oakland, where it has ties to community health clinics and local high schools, and it serves a diverse student population.
