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Board Members Balk at Placing Charter High School on Middle School Campus

Published

10 years ago

June 20, 2015

Several members of the Oakland Board of Education are balking at a proposal of the Oakland Unified School District administration to place a charter high school on the same campus as Westlake Middle School, leading the board president to table the motion without discussion, the Post has learned.

The proposal to place 185 students and eight staff of American Indian Charter High School in eight portable classrooms on the middle school campus was on the agenda to be decided on the Wednesday, June 10 school board meeting but did not come up for discussion.

“Staff needs to do more due diligence on the relocation of American Indian Model Schools,” said Board President James Harris, tabling the proposal.

However, board members told the Post that staff wants more time to lobby the board to back a plan that is extremely unpopular with Westlake community.

Westlake is located on Harrison Avenue near Lake Merritt and draws students from West Oakland and the Chinatown/downtown areas.

School District General Counsel Jacqueline Minor (left) and Deputy Chief David Montes de Oca speak at Westlake Middle School. Photo by Ken Epstein.

At a tumultuous meeting at the school on June 8, parents, teachers, students and members of the Westlake came out in force to condemn the move.

Administrators said the district was required to give space the school, and Westlake was the only good choice.

Therefore, they said, the decision was up to the board, but was all but a done deal.

However, parents did not go along. They objected to putting high school students on the same campus with students who are 12 years old and in the fifth grade.

Some parents did not want more sophisticated 17-year-olds on the same campus as their young special education students.

They did not like the idea that the school would have to have double lunch periods in the cafeteria and would split the use of the school library with the charter.

They suggested that the charter be moved to nearby Lakeview School, across from the Grand Lake Theater, which is currently closed and being for district offices. Staff said Lakeview was not possible but did not convince the parents.

Earlier, the district had tried to move an American Indian charter to Bella Vista Elementary, but that plan ran into organized opposition from the parents, teachers and the community.

Ultimately, administrators withdrew the plan to use Bella Vista. They said it was because it had to remove portables from the school’s playground, and therefore would be enough space.

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Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

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Supreme Court Decision Confirms Convicted Felon Will Assume Presidency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency request to block criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case, ensuring that a sentencing hearing will proceed as scheduled on Friday. The decision makes it official that, on January 20, for the first time in its history, the United States will inaugurate a convicted felon as its president.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Trump was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in a state criminal case, particularly before all appeals in state courts were exhausted.

Trump’s legal team claimed the sentencing process would interfere with his transition to power and argued that evidence introduced during the trial included official actions protected under the Supreme Court’s prior ruling granting former presidents immunity for official conduct. Merchan, the New York judge who presided over the trial, ruled in December that the evidence presented was unrelated to Trump’s duties as president.

Prosecutors dismissed Trump’s objections, stating that the sentencing would take less than an hour and could be attended virtually. They said the public interest in proceeding to sentencing outweighed the President-elect’s claims of undue burden.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the four dissenting justices, confirmed speaking to Trump by phone on Wednesday. Alito insisted the conversation did not involve the case, though the call drew criticism given his previous refusals to recuse himself from politically sensitive matters.

The sentencing hearing is set for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan. As the nation moves closer to an unprecedented inauguration, questions about the implications of a convicted felon assuming the presidency remain.

“No one is above the law,” Bragg said.

Stacy M. Brown

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Barbara Lee Launches Campaign for Mayor of Oakland

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united,” she Lee. “If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Published

7 days ago

January 8, 2025

Oakland Post

By Post Staff

Barbara Lee on Wednesday morning formally announced her candidacy for Mayor in Oakland’s April 15 special election.

“Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges,” said Lee.

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided but a community united,” she said. “If elected, I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas, and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

“As Mayor, I’ll address our homelessness crisis, prioritize comprehensive public safety and mental health services, and lead with fiscal responsibility to deliver the core City services residents and business owners deserve. Let’s do this – together.”

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Lee. “I’m always ready to fight for Oakland.”

Watch her campaign video here, which is online at BarbaraLee4Oakland.com