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Op-Ed: Power in Oakland Schools – Who Has It?

Published

10 years ago

October 4, 2016

By Tony Daquipa

One of the biggest problems in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is the lack of power and influence that OUSD parents, students and community members have in the decision-making of the school district.

Even more disturbing is the disproportionate power and influence wielded by lobbyists and wealthy philanthropists, most of whom have no background or experience in education and do not even live in Oakland.

Democracy means shared decision-making: the opportunity for those being governed to participate in the making of the decisions that affect their lives.

Our public schools and our public school district, both of which are funded by our tax dollars, should absolutely be places where those who are most affected by the decisions made (students and parents) have meaningful avenues to participate in and have influence over the decision-making process.

Unfortunately, that is not the current situation in Oakland.

Today in Oakland, outside interests with no accountability to this community have more influence than the families who rely on our schools, and the district has become unresponsive to the needs of those it is supposed to serve.

Although OUSD families are best positioned to know what their students need to be successful, much of the work of the district is shaped not by OUSD families.

But by lobbying groups such as the California Charter School Association and Great Oakland (GO) Public Schools, and funders of charter schools such as Educate 78, the New Schools Venture Fund and the Rogers Family Foundation.

As an example, the current work underway to create an “Equity Pledge” between charter schools and OUSD was initiated by charter school leaders and funded by Educate78 without any opportunities for members of the public to participate, even though the “Equity Pledge” would be a public policy that would affect thousands of Oakland public school students.

It is not surprising that groups such as Educate78 have so much influence, since most of the members of the current School Board received campaign contributions in dollars as well as in kind (paid canvassers, mailers and phone bankers) from the groups named above, either directly or through their staff members.

We believe that there is an inherent conflict between the goal of these powerful outside groups, largely the expansion of privately run charter schools, and the role of OUSD, which is ensuring the success and sustainability of the public school system that is responsible for serving all students.

In theory, the idea of charter schools is not an inherently evil one. However, every new privately-run charter school that is opened means a diversion of public funds from OUSD students without also lowering the costs incurred by the district for maintaining buildings, paying staff, funding pension contributions for OUSD retirees, and providing for the full range of student needs including health, mental health, nutrition, afterschool programs and more.

Additionally, privately run charter schools in Oakland on average tend to underserve special education students, African American students and English Language Learners.

These students are more expensive to serve and are perceived as being less likely to score well on standardized tests. Unlike public schools that have to serve all children, many privately run charter schools prefer students who will boost test scores while requiring minimal support.

So not only are public funds diverted from OUSD, but over time the proportion of students that are more expensive to serve has gone up in OUSD.

These more expensive, higher need student groups are being increasingly concentrated in our underfunded publicly-run schools that are being set up to fail.

While many charter school advocates may mean well, their quest to get access to more and more public school funding and facilities, is, in effect, fast-tracking our community’s most vulnerable children down the school-to-prison pipeline.

This is the reality of market model education reform: Those students who aren’t profitable to enroll simply don’t matter.

It would be easy for someone whose child is not being set up to fail to look the other way and think, “that doesn’t affect me.”

Well, the truth is, it does. If you live in Oakland, then you are surrounded by these children.

If you are an Oakland parent, regardless of what kind of school your child goes to, you are still raising your child in a community where other children are being set up to fail. You can live high up on a hill or behind walls, but that doesn’t change the reality of what is going on around you.

There can be no security in a society where some children’s lives don’t matter.

Additionally, with seemingly daily news headlines screaming warning signals about the fiscal mismanagement and outright fraud that is apparently rampant in the charter school industrial complex, Oakland families absolutely need district leaders who are willing to focus on improving publicly-run schools for all children in every neighborhood.

The unchecked increase in the number of charter schools in Oakland has been one result of the imbalance of decision-making power in the district.

OUSD also spends way too much on central administration compared to the school sites, according to a recent report the district commissioned from Education Resource Strategies.

The doling out of lucrative, no-bid contracts and the willingness to share private student data with third party organizations are yet more symptoms of this festering problem.

Today in Oakland, there is a strong need for the school board to more fully embrace and actualize their core belief regarding sharing decision-making with the Oakland community.

In order to make shared decision-making real, the district needs to take steps to limit the influence of people and organizations that don’t live in Oakland and have a divergent agenda for education, one that in fact undermines public education in Oakland.

OUSD also needs to listen to those who are relying on them to improve and sustain our publicly run schools.

We have an opportunity to begin rectifying this imbalance of power through the upcoming school board elections.

Four of the seven school board seats (a majority of the board) are at stake. If your district seat is at stake, please vote, and when you do, please vote for candidates who have not had their campaigns funded by deep-pocketed charter advocacy groups who do not have the interests of all of our children in mind.

Learn more at https://ousdparentsunited.wordpress.com/

Anthony Daquipa is a parent at Sequoia Elementary School and a member of the steering committee of Parents United for Public Schools.

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Not Just a Southern Issue: Advocates Say SCOTUS Voting Rights Decision Has Already Started to Reshape Black Political Power

OAKLAND POST — Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whose district spans parts of Los Angeles County, joined fellow CBC member U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA-2) for a May 21 briefing with Black media outlets in California.

The lawmakers highlighted what they describe as a mounting threat to Black political representation resulting from an April 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Kamlager-Dove and Carter warned that the decision, which narrowed the role of race in redistricting, is already reshaping congressional districts across the South and undermining Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.

“While we are a super blue state, we have far to go when it comes to Black representation; we tend to take that for granted,” Kamlager-Dove said of California, noting that the Golden State has the fifth largest Black population in the country and only has three Black members of Congress.

“While I support building coalitions, we have to make sure that as a Black community we are not yielding our power,” she added.

Calling the fight “not unique to the South,” Carter urged Black communities nationwide to recognize the broader implications of the legal and political battles unfolding in Southern legislatures and courtrooms.

The Supreme Court ruling centers on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the portion of the law that prohibits voting systems or district maps that dilute the voting strength of racial minorities. For decades, Section 2 allowed civil rights groups to challenge district maps that weakened Black political representation even when lawmakers did not openly state discriminatory intent.

Now, advocates fear that standard has fundamentally changed.

“You have to have smoking gun evidence,” said Mitchell Brown, senior voting rights counsel at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, during a recent media briefing hosted by American Community Media on May 15. “Legislators are not going to say the quiet part out loud.”

The implications could stretch far beyond congressional elections, Brown said.

Section 2 protections have historically applied not only to U.S. House districts, but also to state legislatures, school boards, county commissions, judgeships, and local governing bodies. Voting rights advocates warn that weakening those protections could reshape political representation throughout the South, particularly in states with large Black populations.

“This is not just a Southern issue,” said Amir Badat, manager of Black Voters on the Rise and voting special counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Badat described the current moment as part of a much longer historical pattern.

Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

“This is the same move,” Badat said.

Advocates also emphasized that the consequences of weakened voting protections extend into everyday life.

Local elected offices such as school boards, city councils, county commissions, and judgeships often determine funding priorities, public safety policy, education standards, and infrastructure investments.

“These are not abstract numbers,” Badat said. “These have real political consequences and policy consequences on people’s day-to-day lives.”

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Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Published

5 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.

“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.

“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.

Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.

Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.

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Court Throws Out Law That Allowed Californians to Build Duplexes, Triplexes and RDUs on Their Properties

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

Published

5 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional.

Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the cities, pointing out that SB 9 discredited charter cities that were granted jurisdiction to create new governance systems and enact policy reforms. The court ruling affects 121 charter cities that have local constitutions.

Attorney Pam Lee represented five Southern California cities in the lawsuit against the state and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“This is a monumental victory for all charter cities in California,” Lee said.

However, general law cities are excluded from the court ruling as state housing laws still apply in residential areas.

Attorney General Bonta and his team are working to review the decision and consider all options that will protect SB 9 as a state law. Bonta said the law has helped provide affordable housing for residents in California.

“Our statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis requires collaboration, innovation, and a good faith effort by local governments to increase the housing supply,” Bonta said.

“SB9 is an important tool in this effort, and we’re going to make sure homeowners have the opportunity to utilize it,” he said.

Charter cities remain adamant that the state should refrain from making land-use decisions on their behalf. In the lawsuit, city representatives argued that SB 9 eliminates local authority to create single-family zoning districts and approve housing developments.