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Charter School Teachers Fired

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Two whistleblowing teachers at the Oakland Charter Academy, part of the Amethod Public Schools network, are alleging that they were fired without notice on the last day before Christmas vacation after they complained that the school was inadequately supporting student needs, particularly failing to provide special education and English learner services.

 

Jennifer Ventimiglia, a credentialed teacher with over a decade of experience, and Karen Toepp, who did not have a credential but had applied for a substitute teaching permit, say they were told on Dec. 18 that they were being terminated for “not being a good fit” at the school and were escorted to their classrooms to remove their personal possessions.

 

 

Jennifer Ventimiglia

Jennifer Ventimiglia

 

The Oakland Charter Academy (OCA), a middle school located at 4215 Foothill Blvd., describes itself as the flagship of the Amethod Public Schools organization, “the only National Blue Ribbon School in East Oakland.”

 

Established in Fall 1994 as Oakland’s first charter, OCA says its goal “is to prepare our students to compete and excel in a competitive global marketplace.”

 

Besides OCA, Amethod operates the Downtown Charter Academy in Oakland, Oakland Charter High School, Benito Juarez Elementary in Richmond, John Henry High School in Richmond and the Richmond Charter Academy.

 

OCA has 152 students, 81 percent Latino and 10 percent African American. About 30 percent of the students are English learners.

 

OUSD’s new Enrollment Options Guide says the school offers “mild-moderate” services to special education students.

 

Ventimiglia told the Post that she began raising concerns to the school administration, both about how the school treated its students and the failings of the academic programs, soon after she started working at OCA in August.

 

When she did not receive a response to the issues, she began speaking with the Office of Charter Schools at the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).

 

After Ventimiglia and and Toepp were fired, they sent a letter to OUSD detailing what they had witnessed.

 

“There were no special education services being offered to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs),” according to the two teachers.

 

An IEP is a legally mandated written statement of the educational program designed to meet a special education student’s individual needs.

 

Instead of providing individualized student services, special education students and students who were one or more year below grade level in math and reading were pulled out of their classes by tutors, who mostly were young people who have not graduated college and have no experience with education, the teachers said.

 

“From what we have observed, all students receive(d) the same instruction that consist(ed) of work on (a computer program) and grammar worksheets accompanied by the workbook,” according to the teachers’ letter.

 

In addition, the letter said, English Learners “received no accommodation or differentiated instruction in their core classes, and many were failing all subjects,” the letter said.

 

Besides being pulled out of their English classes by untrained tutors, the English Language Learner students were taught as part of a group with special education and low performing students, and the instruction was undifferentiated.

 

“The only other support provided for students was after school computer work with the Rosetta Stone (computer) program,” the leader said.

 

Ventimiglia tired to encourage the school to improve English language instruction, but her suggestions fell on deaf ears. “Not only did OCA leadership never respond to her suggestions, they often actively sought to dissuade her from supporting EL students.”

 

According to the teachers’ letter, three of the school’s seven instructors did not have teaching credentials.

 

Like almost all charter school employees, these teachers did not have the protection of a union contract. “All staff members must sign a contract that they can be fired anytime for any reason,” said the teachers’ letter. “In every sense of the word, teachers and staff members have no voice and no rights.”

 

Though charters are publically funded, they are not generally held accountable to the public for their educational practices. By law, they are exempted from most of the state Education Code, except the requirements for credentialed teachers and federal protections against discrimination.

 

While charter schools have their own internal grievance procedures, these procedures have been criticized in some cases for being arbitrary or nonexistent in practice. The governing boards of charters are not elected, unlike the board of a school district.

 

The chartering agency, such as OUSD, is supposed to provide oversight of charters, but an application to renew a charter every five years is often the only public scrutiny that a charter school may receive, according to educators.

 

In response to the Post’s questions, the school district responded: “The OUSD Charter School Office investigates and provides a Notice of Concern that If violations are not remedied within the prescribed timeline, then it will escalate to a notice of violation; and if that’s not remedied, then it could lead to revocation.”

 

Administrators from the Oakland Charter Academy did not return repeated calls from the Post.

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Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Reflects on Her Career as She Bids Farewell to Congress

“Together, we have raised our voices and pushed the envelope for peace, justice and equity. It has been the honor of a lifetime to provide constituent services, deliver federal investments to my district, speak out, and often times be the only one to take tough votes against the tide. I have, and will continue to, fight for working families, the middle class, low income and poor people,” said Lee On her final day in Congress.

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Rep. Barbara Lee. File photo.
Rep. Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Outgoing Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) expressed deep gratitude to her constituents and marked the end of her 26-year career in public service.

Lee, who is succeeded by Lateefah Simon, a civil rights and racial justice activist, praised people in her community for their support. She also highlighted her dedication to promoting peace, justice, and equity.

“Together, we have raised our voices and pushed the envelope for peace, justice and equity. It has been the honor of a lifetime to provide constituent services, deliver federal investments to my district, speak out, and often times be the only one to take tough votes against the tide. I have, and will continue to, fight for working families, the middle class, low income and poor people,” said Lee On her final day in Congress.

Throughout her tenure, Lee earned a reputation as a principled lawmaker known for taking bold and sometimes unpopular stances. One of her defining moments came in 2001 when she was the sole member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force in response to the September 11 attacks. This decision led to death threats but ultimately cemented her legacy of courage.

Lee’s leadership extended beyond her district, where she fought for social justice, the rights of low-income communities, and global health initiatives. She was a key figure in pushing for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She was a vocal critic of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion services.

The Congresswoman also faced significant challenges in her career, including a failed Senate bid in 2024. Yet, Lee’s efforts have paved the way for more excellent representation, with more Black women now elected to Congress. She worked closely with organizations like Representation Matters to encourage more women of color to run for office.

Lee says she looks to the future, confident that the next generation of leaders will continue her unfinished work, particularly on issues like military force and reproductive rights.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

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OP-ED: Like Physicians, U.S. Health Institutions Must ‘First, Do No Harm’

Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same. It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

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Albert L. Brooks MD. Courtesy photo.
Albert L. Brooks MD. Courtesy photo.

By Albert L. Brooks MD
Special to The Post

Presidential administrations significantly impact the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities.

Through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the agencies within it, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health, this new administration will decide how financial resources are allocated, dictate the focus of federal research, and determine how our public health care insurance systems are managed, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Vaccines for Children program, Medicare, and Medicaid.

The decisions made over the next four years will impact all Americans but will be felt more acutely by those most underserved and vulnerable.

As physicians, we are greatly concerned by the nominations announced by President Trump to critical healthcare related positions. Many of their previous statements and positions are rooted in misinformation.

Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same.

It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

Vaccines, in particular, have been a target of disinformation by some HHS nominees. In fact, research continues to confirm that vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines go through multiple rounds of clinical trials prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration to the public.

Vaccines protect against life-threateningdiseasessuch as measles, polio, tetanus, and meningococcal disease and, when used effectively, have beenshowntoeliminateorsubstantiallyreducediseaseprevalenceand/orseverity.

Because of vaccine mis- and disinformation, there has been a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, endangering those who are too young or unable to be vaccinated.

Several nominees have spread disinformation alleging that fluoride in public drinking water is harmful. In fact, fluoride in drinking water at the recommended level of 0.7 parts per million, like we have in our EBMUD water, is safe and keeps teeth strong. Because of public health interventions dating back to the 1960s that have resulted in 72.3% of the U.S. population now having access to fluoridated water, there has been a reduction in cavities by about 25% in both children and adults.

We also encourage the next administration to invest in our public health infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of public health agencies in preventing and responding to health crises in our communities.

Health departments at the state and local levels rely on federal funding support and technical assistance to develop public health response plans, implement public health strategies, and work with on the ground organizations to serve hard to reach communities. Public health agencies are critical for protecting everyone in our communities, regardless of income-level, insurance status, or housing status.

Health officials should also work to protect the significant improvements in insurance coverage that have occurred since the passage of theACAin 2010.According to HHS, the numberofuninsuredAmericansfellfrom48millionin2010to25.6millionin2023.

California has led the way by investing in Medi-Cal and expanding eligibility for enrollment. In fact, it reached its lowest uninsured rate ever in 2022 at 6.2%. Voters affirmed this commitment to expanding and protecting access to care in November by passing Proposition 35, which significantly expanded funding for California’s Medi-Cal program. The administration should advance policies that strengthen the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare and improve access to affordable health care.

Regardless of the president in power, physicians will always put the best interests of our patients and communities at the forefront. We will continue to be a resource to our patients, providing evidence-based and scientifically proven information and striving to better their lives and our community’s health. We urge the new Trump administration to do the same.

Albert L. Brooks MD is the immediate past president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, which represents 6,000 East Bay physicians.

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