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Torres, Hutchinson and Trenado Run in Oakland District 5 School Board Race

Published

8 years ago

September 29, 2016

Three candidates are actively campaigning for the District 5 seat on the Oakland Board of Education: incumbent Roseann Torres, Oakland native and school activist Mike Hutchinson and middle school teacher Huber Trenado, who is part of the slate backed by the pro-charter organization Great Oakland (GO) Public Schools.A fourth candidate, Michael Hassid, is on the ballot but has not appeared so far at candidate speaking events.

Torres, who practices law in Oakland, is married and the parent of a high school senior. Originally from Stockton, she has lived in Oakland for about 12 years.

Speaking of her accomplishments, Torres said she is most proud of the 14 percent teacher pay raise that the school board negotiated with teachers.

“This is very big accomplishment to give a double digit raise to teachers” in a district that loses teachers frequently to nearby districts that pay $8,000 or more a year than Oakland, Torres said. She is also proud of her efforts to initiate and pass an ethnic studies requirement at all Oakland high schools.

Torres began working with a teacher in 2014 to develop the policy. Before that, she said, there were only a few teachers who taught ethnic studies “under the radar, without permission.”

Ultimately, the policy passed the board on a 7-0 vote.

When she first ran for the school board, Torres said she had no idea what the pro-charter corporate lobby was or the role of GO Public Schools in Oakland.

“They thought I was going to be a blank check for charters and not just do what I thought was right,” she said. “I started getting checks from all over the country (to support her candidacy).

“I didn’t know they wanted to control what I did and how I vote. Their assumption was: we brought in all this money, and you have to vote way we expect.”

Torres said she supports charter schools and charter school renewals that she thinks are good for the students and the community but that she is not a blank check.

However, GO and other charter school backers have turned against her for taking an independent stand, she said.

Mike Hutchinson, born and raised in Oakland, attending public schools. He is not a teacher but has worked in local schools in many capacities, including as a coach and in afterschool programs.

Hutchinson speaks at most school board meetings, pushing the board and the administration to be more responsive to community needs, he said.

He says he has three top priorities.

First he wants to see the district adopt “authentic community engagement,” to listen to parents and the community to incorporate what they say into policies and decisions.

At present, he said, “district staff shows up and tells the community what they plan on doing,” he said.

Second, he wants to “reprioritize” the district budget, which this year is $792 million. About $80 million of the funds are spent outsourcing district functions to highly paid consultants. The saved money can be invested in improving neighborhood schools, he said.

His priority would be to stop privitization.

“Oakland has over 40 charter schools, but San Leandro has none, and San Francisco and Berkeley only have a few,” he said, emphasizing that the district is giving too many of its resources to charters.

Huber Trenado works as a seventh-grade humanities teacher at Lazear Charter Academy in the Fruitvale District.

His family emigrated from Mexico, and he was born in Los Angeles. He later moved to Oakland, where he attended school and lived in a small apartment with his mother and six siblings.

If elected, Trenado said he would be the first openly gay school board member.

The loss of teachers has lot to do with the lack of support they receive in their first few years in the district, he said.

“Teaching is a really hard thing, and it crucial to help them grow during their first years in the profession,” said Trenado.

He said he wants to improve the schools so all students get served. At many flatland schools, as many as 50 percent of the students do not graduate or have the coursework to go to college.

He has the backing of GO Public Schools but is not a member.

“I’m not pro charter,” he said. “I don’t support new charter schools being opened. I don’t think opening new charter schools is fiscally responsible.”

However, he said, “the whole debate is political,” not focusing on what is good for students and families. “It’s a lot of privileged people” who are complaining about charter schools, he said.

Addendum:

Great Oakland (GO) Public Schools responds:

“The GO endorsement process is driven by the recommendations of parents, educators, and community members evaluating school board candidates on a broad policy agenda, not a candidate’s willingness to support charter growth. GO did not endorse Rosie Torres because she did not do the job- for example, she has been absent or late to at least 1 out of 3 school board meetings. Attendance at school board meetings is the lowest bar you can set for a school board member and Rosie didn’t clear that bar. Our parents, educators and community leaders believe students, families, and voters in District 5 deserve better.” – Ash Solar, Executive Director, GO Public Schools Advocates

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Related Topics:District 5 elections Huber Trenado Mike Hutchinson Oakland Roseann Torres School Board

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

7 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Activism

Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

18 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”

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Community

For Cervical Cancer Month, Medical Community Focused on Education

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable. Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.

Published

19 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

A Mayo Clinic article published last month stated that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed and die of cervical cancer, compared to White women in the U.S. 2,000 Black women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 40% die as a result.

By Magaly Muñoz

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable.

Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.

Sonia Ordonez, an OBGYN and gynecology surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, stated that as soon as people with cervixes reach the maturity reproductive age, they should start taking preventative measures like getting the HPV vaccine. The vaccine involves a series of two-doses for people aged 9 through 14 or three-doses for people 15 through 45 years old.

“I see a lot of young women who can’t remember or may not have gotten [the vaccine] when they were younger, or maybe got one, but we can give them the series of vaccines and restart at any point in time,” Ordonez said.

She said that cervical cancer is not the only cancer caused by HPV. Strains of the virus can also lead to throat, anal and penile cancers.

Screening is also an effective way to check for cervical cancer and should be done every three years after someone turns 21, doctors recommend. It is best to start as early as possible to catch occurrences early.

Ordonez said that this cancer is also more likely found in people of color and has led to more deaths overall.

A Mayo Clinic article published last month stated that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed and die of cervical cancer, compared to White women in the U.S.

2,000 Black women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 40% die as a result.

“This disparity is not due to genetic differences among White, Black or Hispanic women, but rather related to systemic racism, access to healthcare and socioeconomic factors,” Dr. Olivia Cardenas-Trowers, a Mayo Clinic urogynecologist, said in the article.

Ordonez stated that immigrant women are also highly susceptible to the cancer, as many Latin American countries may not have accessibility to screenings or lack of insurance makes it harder for them to get tested.

Hispanic women are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 30% more likely to die from it, as compared to non-Hispanic White women, according to the Office of Minority Health.

Family medicine physician, Joy Anyanwu, stated that the pandemic contributed to hesitancy about getting cervical cancer screenings among some women. Other factors are people’s aversion to vaccines, parents not wanting to believe that their children are or will become sexually active, and doubt about the overall effectiveness of the vaccine.

“The vaccine is very safe — over 97% effective in preventing cervical cancer,” Anyanwu said. “Even if you aren’t having sex, the earlier you start would actually help.”

Anyanwu said she understands that parents might not want to ask questions about their children’s reproductive health, but it’s a mindset that can be a barrier to having important conversation about prevention or care.

To keep families their families and communties healthy, the doctor emphasized that people should prioritize keeping up with their vaccine series and going to screenings every year.