Oakland public school system lost about 12,500 black students over a decade (Fremont: section 8, homes)

[Ultrarunner]

Oakland School enrollment drops significantly...

I've noticed it myself... just never saw the numbers.

Five Oakland Schools have been identified for closure to save 2 million dollars...

It is ironic, that in least one school, Marshall Elementary, the district had teams of contractors renovating all summer...

Seems odd to upgrade only to close?

As black families leave Oakland, their kids disappear from school - Inside Bay Area

[DMenscha]

Header: Oakland public school system lost about 12,500 black students over a decade.

I hope they find them, that's a lot of students to get lost.

[18Montclair]

Im extremely interested to see what will be done with those properties when the schools close, which they should.

When I was in the OUSD(late 80s-early 90s) I remember there were 50,000 students. I think the huge decline in Black students reflects the decline in Blacks overall in Oakland. 30,000 Blacks moved out of the city in the last decade and most of them moved to surrounding suburbs and metro areas.

Terrence Candell, former mayor candidate has recently raised serious accusations against CEDA claiming that CEDA is using eminent domain to evict lower income Blacks living in and around downtown from their homes so that developers can build new upscale housing for white people. That's his theory and I am not so convinced---although his opinion is backed up by several personal accounts

I personally think its due to Black folks wanting more for their money, which is no different from Whites 50 years ago.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

Header: Oakland public school system lost about 12,500 black students over a decade.

I hope they find them, that's a lot of students to get lost.

Maybe they snuck out for a smoke

[OaktownAndy]

Although there has been a decline in black students in OUSD, not all of those students are leaving Oakland. During the last decade the number of students in private schools serving Oakland has doubled and the number of students in charter schools has gone from minimal to about 8000. I'm sure some of those increasing numbers include black students.

You might say that OUSD's biggest problem isn't declining black enrollment but declining enrollment in general (from 55000 students in 2000 to 38000 in 2011). It has been reported that significant numbers of white and Asian students depart OUSD once they reach middle and high school age. That "brain drain" is a substantial reason why the middle schools and high schools have mediocre to terrible API scores and why the entire OUSD has only 8% white enrollment when the city itself is 1/4 white.

Personally, I think OUSD needs to close or consolidate 30-40% of its schools, make the remaining schools safe, and create a magnet middle and high school for accelerated students (like Lowell in SF) so that students at those schools don't stagnate with the students who don't care.

Unfortunately, that will never happen in Oakland because administrators are more worried about keeping their jobs and narrowing the "achievement gap".

[Snort]

Have they looked in Neverland?

[jade408]

Yeah, OUSD has bigger problems than trying to find these "missing black students" when 50% of the school age children aren't enrolled in the district at all. That is much more telling than any one ethnic groups stats. Or how about how OUSD doesn't really reflect the community population on the whole, especially as kids get older....

[Ultrarunner]

Well, I know were several have gone.

They live in Oakland and attend public schools in San Leandro, Hayward and Fremont... each has a parent working in the city where their child attends...

I once rented to a family with 5 children... I got a panic call Friday saying they were moving in the morning... I said what???

Apparently, the minister and his wife I rented the home to had all 5 children in Alameda Public Schools and were caught...

Within 72 hours, they had rented a two bedroom on Park street and the kids were able to stay in Alameda.

Another factor is many families I personally know through the Section 8 program have ported out to nearby districts... Antioch, Brentwood, Hayward and San Leandro.

The family that moved to Hayward had her boys in Skyline... the first week they moved to Hayward their new school was under lock down... not sure anything was gained leaving Skyline for Hayward.

First year Section 8 Certificate Holders are able to move on their first anniversary to other cities.

What did surprise me about Marshall School is the amount of renovations done in the last 6 months... surely, there has to be a plan as to why money would be spent on a closing school?

[BayAreaHillbilly]

- Decline in % of blacks
- Decline in fecundity / youthfulness of the general Bay Area population, Oakland is a microcosm
- More blacks going to private schools

Any questions?

[Natural510]

Yeah, when will Oakland get over its racial obsession and stick to issues which matter?
(Answer to my own question, when they stop electing "leaders" like Ronald DumDum and Jean Quack)