Bay Area
OPINION: Support Alysse Caste for County Superintendent of Schools
The reasons given by Monroe to use State of California authority at the county level and demand these school closures for the school district to “to remain a going concern” have more to do with ideology than finances. There is a view that schools should be run like business. That view has held a lot of sway for a long time without any of the market miracle results we were promised.
By Don Macleay
I voted for Alysse Castro to replace L.K. Monroe for Alameda County Superintendent of Schools
Alameda County Superintendent of Schools is one of those down-ballot elected positions that most of us do not know about, who holds the job now, or even what roll the county plays in our public education.
Most of us do not even know that the position exists.
So why do I care? Because L.K. Monroe supported the process that closed some Oakland public K-12 schools this year, and Alysse Castro knows how and why the claimed budget savings don’t really deliver as promised.
To make a long story short, when one closes a school, we still need to serve the students, employ the teachers, protect the facilities, all without the advantages of the school that we already had up and running in the neighborhood where it is needed.
All that creates new costs. In the end little, if any, money is saved by closing a school.
The reasons given by Monroe to use State of California authority at the county level and demand these school closures for the school district to “to remain a going concern” have more to do with ideology than finances. There is a view that schools should be run like business. That view has held a lot of sway for a long time without any of the market miracle results we were promised.
As to competence, background, and experience, the two candidates are highly qualified and more similar to each other than they would like to say. Incumbent Monroe has experience, and candidate Castro also has a long background in school finance and administration worthy of respect.
When it came to closing Oakland schools despite the opposition of the Oakland education community and despite our balanced school district budget, the difference came mostly down to a judgment call.
Ms. Monroe made the wrong call, and Ms. Castro has said she will change policy.
So, Alysse Castro has my vote.
Don Macleay is an Oakland parent and past District 1 school board candidate in 2016, The views expressed are personal and not official views of any organization.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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