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With Dolores Huerta, Student Director Ramirez and members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center Delegation who registered over 250 new voters in the Central Valley.
!Vota!
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It probably goes without saying that November is a very important month -- we have a critical election, school tours, open houses, upcoming college application deadlines and more.
Like many of you, I am very relieved that the 2016 Election Day is finally here so please be sure to make your vote count by voting on or before
November 8th
!
The ballot is very long so I have highlighted several education measures for you to keep an eye out for below. Please also refer to your voter information guide for further information.
The location of your designated polling place is on the back of your sample ballot. If you need assistance with polling information, click
HERE
.
Be sure to bring photo identification with you to your polling place.
This month's newsletter will also highlight the School Board's legislative priorities, upcoming events and other district-wide news.
I invite you to continue reading to find out more!
In service,
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Official Ballot Title:
Districtwide Teacher Retention and Middle School Improvement Act
Official Ballot Summary:
To provide a districtwide educator salary increase designed to attract/retain teachers; provide enhanced middle school art, music, languages/other programs in addition to core educational programs; improve academic achievement; provide safe, positive schools, and prepare students for college/careers; shall Oakland Unified School District levy a tax of $120 per parcel, providing $12.4 million annually, for 12 years, with exemptions for senior and low income residents, no money for Sacramento, and all money benefitting Oakland students?
Link
to OUSD FAQs.
Official Ballot Title: School Bonds. Funding for K-12 School and Community College Facilities. Initiative Statute.
Official Ballot Summary:
Authorizes $9 billion in general obligation bonds for new construction and modernization of K-12 public school facilities; charter schools and vocational education facilities; and California Community Colleges facilities. Fiscal Impact: State costs of about $17.6 billion to pay off both the principal ($9 billion) and interest ($8.6 billion) on the bonds. Payments of about $500 million per year for 35 years. For more information, check out the news coverage by ABC7 News.
Official Ballot Title: T
ax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Official Ballot Summary:
Extends by twelve years the temporary personal income tax increases enacted in 2012 on earnings over $250,000, with revenues allocated to K-12 schools, California Community Colleges, and, in certain years, healthcare. Fiscal Impact: Increased state revenues $4 billion to $9 billion annually from 2019-2030 depending on economy and stock market. Increased funding for schools, community colleges, health care for low-income people, budget reserves, and debt payments.
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Board Priorities
We have been working on our legislative priorities. Some policy areas that the Board will be focusing on include school finance, school facilities, early education, educator effectiveness. Click
Update on Transportation
The District's transportation services mission is to bring students safely and securely to their destinations in the mindset of learning. This year, the District has identified end-to-end services to students and families as a key focus. Read more on their transportation and logistics update here.
Every Student Succeeds Act at OUSD
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a bipartisan measure that was signed to build on key areas of progress made in public education in recent years and replace the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002. ESSA focuses on equity by upholding protections for students with high needs and requires that all students are well-prepared to succeed in college and careers. In response to ESSA, OUSD has developed the School Performance Framework (SPF) to identify and provide more support for underperforming schools using evidence-based intervention strategies.
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Superintendent Wilson congratulating Diana Culmer on her award.
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Diana Culmer Named Alameda County Teacher of the Year!
During the 27th Annual Alameda County Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony on October 7th, Diana Culmer,
a 2016 Oakland Unified School District Teacher of the Year, was presented with the award. Culmer has been teaching for 26 years, and has spent the last 11 years teaching for OUSD. She is currently teaching a 4th/5th grade special day class at Grass Valley Elementary and is very passionate about helping her students grow and supporting them in exceeding expectations. Her commitment has show results, with her students growing three to four academic years in just one school year. Culmer is now in the running for California State Teacher of the Year. Read more about her accomplishments, involvement in education, and dedication to her students
here
.
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Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green Codes with OUSD Students
On October 12, 2016, Draymond Green visited Oakland High School to take a computer coding course alongside students as part of a collaboration between OUSD, Golden State Warriors, and Code.org, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to computer science instruction. As part of this effort, OUSD highlights the growth of student involvement in computer science and Draymond Green launches Warrior Code, his team's platform that aims to address the lack of diversity in the technology sector. To learn more on how we plan to inspire students through development of their skills, click here.
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Warriors player Draymond Green visits OUSD to code with students.
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Superintendent Wilson's State of the School's Address
On October 18, 2016, the OUSD community gathered together for the superintendent's report on the district's areas of progress, where growth is urgently needed, and priorities. Superintendent Wilson announced a few successes in the past few years, including dramatically decreasing dropout and suspension rates, increasing on-time graduation rates among the three historically most under-served student groups (African Americans, students with disabilities, and foster youth), and more. Some notable priorities for OUSD include keeping reading and math proficiencies up to grade level, closing the performance gap between different race and income groups, and further increase on-time graduation rates. Learn more on Wilson's goals and plans through this full video of his address.
Three OUSD Schools Recognized for Excellence
Of 41 high performing schools that serve predominantly low-income Latino and African American students, three were OUSD schools: Peralta, Lincoln, and Cleveland Elementary Schools. This honor was recognized by Innovate Public Schools, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate growth of low-income students and students of color. Find out the principals' response here.
Local Teachers Receive Grants
Educate78's Teacher Advisory Group designed a grant program that will be disbursing a combined $125,351 in grants to teachers from 12 different Oakland public schools in an effort to keep them in OUSD. This grant is set to empower them to develop innovative approaches to job satisfaction and teacher retention. The spending of the grants will go towards supporting teacher wellness and self-care development, providing materials and equipment, and encouraging collaboration and careers.
You can find more information about the teachers' schools
here
.
Volunteering in Schools
Please join the fun and make a difference by volunteering in schools. Over 200 volunteers read to students across Oakland during Latino Read-In Week in October. It made my day to read to transitional kindergartners and first graders at Allendale Elementary. Check out the
Oakland Public Education Fund
to find out how you can volunteer too!
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Teaching kids that learning can be fun.
We made shapes and faces with tortillas.
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Reading is fun for everyone at the
2nd Annual Latino Read-in at Allendale Elementary School.
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Board of Education and District 4 School Meetings/Events
November 1-30th
Application Filing Period for University of California and Cal State Universities
November 9th
Bret Harte: PTSA Meeting @ 7pm
November 9th
Board of Education Regular Meeting @ 5pm (
NEW LOCATION
: Oakland City Hall Chambers)
November 10th
Superintendent Parent Forum @ 5:30pm,
Oakland Public Library: 81st Avenue Branch
November 10th
Montera: PTO Meeting @ 7pm
Party for the Promise @ the Fox Theater!
For tickets and information, click
here
.
November 15th
Sequoia: FOSS Meeting @ 6pm
November 15th
Thornhill: PFC Meeting @ 6pm
November 16th
Montclair: PTA Meeting @ 6pm
November 17th
Redwood Heights: PTA Meeting @ 6pm
November 17th
Joaquin Miller: PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm
November 28th
Board of Education Community Engagement Meeting @ 5:30pm, Fremont High School, 4610 Foothill Blvd., Oakland
P.S. Please send me school/community events and photos that you would like included in next month's newsletter.
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For more District-wide information, please
sign up here
for OUSD's newsletters.
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Nina Senn, Vice President & Director - District 4,
Oakland Unified School District,
1000 Broadway, Oakland, CA
94607
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