So far, one candidate has stepped forward: Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland Board of Education, operating at present with one vacancy, is sharply divided, 3-3, on many major issues that impact Oakland families, including the future of special education programs, budget cuts at school sites, school closings, and whether to support “common good” demands for community needs raised by Oakland teachers during their recent strike.

With the board unable to reach a decision on appointing a new member, the Alameda County Office of Education recently stepped in, ordering an election in November to fill the remaining one year-term for the District 5 seat, which represents the Fruitvale District.

The D5 seat was left vacant when its representative, Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, ran and ultimately won in D4 after his residence address was moved during the citywide redistricting process.

On one side of the polarized school board are members who have been outspokenly opposed to school closings and spoke during the recent Oakland teachers’ strike in favor of the union’s “common good” demands: VanCedric Williams, Jennifer Brouhard, and Valarie Bachelor.

On the other side are Board President Hutchinson, Sam Davis, and Cliff Thompson, who have tended to align with positions taken by the district administration, including voting to potentially merge or consolidate schools and voting to cut special education special day classes and programs in the face of major parent opposition.

So far, one candidate for the D5 seat has stepped forward: Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez, who strongly supports Oakland educators. A graduate of Oakland High and Holy Names University, she already has a campaign website: www.sasharitziehernandez.com.

Born in Mexico, she migrated to Oakland at the age of 12 in 2002 and has lived in the Fruitvale District for more than 20 years. Her mother was a teacher in Mexico for 24 years, and Ritzie-Hernandez describe herself as someone who was on the “frontlines” backing the last two Oakland teachers’ strikes.

Openly queer and married to a woman, she is coalition coordinator of the Bay Area Coalition for Education Justice (BACEJ), where she works for “quality public education for students,” she said on her website.

She has been an activist much of her life. While in high school she organized against police brutality in the wake of the killing of Oscar Grant and worked for the DREAM Act.

She formerly worked for Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters Office as a bilingual instructor and organized support for the campaign for the passage of Reparations for Black Students resolution. She currently serves on the Alameda County Spanish Language Advisory Committee.

“My goal (on the board) is to create a culture of accountability through authentic shared decision-making. With your support we can have a school board that centers and is accountable to students, families, and educators,” she wrote.

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