Facilities Update -- part 1
June 25, 2020
ZOOM LINK FOR TONIGHT's MEETING
HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK: https://ousd.zoom.us/j/86792049882
HERE IS THE ZOOM CODE: 867920498822
Steps to join:
1. Open ZOOM in your computer or phone
2. Click "join a meeting"
3. Enter the meeting code: 867920498822
A Message from Bri
Wow! You all really showed up last night! It warmed my heart to see your comments pouring in to support our students and teachers in having healthy, safe, and updated facilities.
Here are some highlights from last night's OUSD Board of Education meeting:
- Over 80 MLA community members -- including parents, teachers, and admin -- made eComments on the facilities agenda item.
- MLA was brought up during Board discussion as a school in need of facilities upgrades.
I know many of you showed up virtually to try to make a live comment during the Board meeting. Thank you! The Board had some incredibly important decisions to make in the beginning of the meeting -- such as defunding the OUSD police and approving the special education budget -- so the facilities bond issue was not discussed until after midnight.
Summary of the Facilities Bond Discussion:
On the topic of the bond, the Board discussed the importance of using the Facilities Bond to ensure all students have access to safe and healthy facilities. They shared the importance of looking at a school's facility index score to identify which schools are most in need of facilities upgrades. They also mentioned the importance of paying attention to the needs of Blueprint schools whose campuses are expanding, shifting, and changing dramatically. These trends might point to MLA belonging on the bond list, but we will NOT be placed on the list unless Board members hear your voices loud and clear.
Next Steps:
The Board has not yet decided which schools will be on the Facilities Bond list. Here is what you can do to help share your thoughts and shape the bond list:
1. Participate in the SPECIAL FACILITIES MEETING on Monday, June 29 at 6pm. This is the meeting when the Board will VOTE on the facilities bond. Just like last night's Board Meeting, you can make an eComment or a live comment on this matter. This topic is the only topic on the meeting's agenda, so we hope it will start earlier. You can find the zoom link by clicking on the agenda here, but I will also update this bulletin at 6pm on Monday, so you can refresh this page and find the updated zoom link. You can also find the link to the meeting on the MLA Facebook page once the link is live.
HERE IS THE ZOOM LINK: https://ousd.zoom.us/j/86792049882
HERE IS THE ZOOM CODE: 867920498822
Steps to join:
1. Open ZOOM in your computer or phone
2. Click "join a meeting"
3. Enter the meeting code: 867920498822
2. Contact OUSD's Board Members as soon as possible (before Monday!) and share your thoughts with them via email or phone call to their office. Contact info is below.
- District 1 Jody London 879-2161 jody.london@ousd.org
- District 2 Aimee Eng 879-2162 aimee.eng@ousd.org
- District 3 Jumoke Hinton-Hodge 879-2163 jumoke.hintonhodge@ousd.org
- District 4 Gary Yee 879-2164 gary.yee@ousd.org
- District 5 Roseann Torres 879-2165 roseann.torres@ousd.org
- District 6 Shanthi Gonzales 879-2166 shanthi.gonzales@ousd.org
- District 7 James Harris 879-2167 james.harris@ousd.org
Here are some talking points to help you think about what to share (and feel free to add your own):
- HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED: The district has identified that MLA is a school in need of major facilities upgrades according to the "Facilities Conditions Index". Our Facilities Condition Index is a level 4, which ranks us with the schools in Oakland that are in most need of improvement. For example, we need a new boiler. Our classrooms reach over 110 degrees; it is too hot to learn. We don't have any athletic facilities such as a field or a gym. Our students don't have access to water or shade when playing on the yard. Our middle schoolers don't have science labs or lockers. The District has said we need major renovations just to make our campus safe to learn.
- MLA SUPPORTS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN THE DISTRICT: MLA is a school that is in high-demand as a high-quality dual immersion school and keeps Oakland families in Oakland Unified Schools. We have a long wait list of over 400 families, but we can't enroll more students because we don't have enough space. Our current site only has the capacity for 400 students, but next year we will have over 625 students. We need more space by adding a new building to our campus so we don't have to split across two sites.
- OUR TEACHERS AND LEADERS NEED TO FOCUS ON LEARNING: We have proven that we are a great school. According to the District's CORE Growth Data, our students are growing at one of the fastest rates of any school in Oakland. We send our 8th graders to high school ready for Advanced Spanish AND proficient in all of their core subjects. We have a strong newcomer program and the district's ONLY bilingual special day class program. We have a high teacher retention rate. Our teachers and leaders need to focus on helping us learn and keeping our program strong, instead of being distracted by constant issues with our buildings and infrastructure.
3. If you are interested in helping with MLA's facilities work, please email Andrea Lowe at taelowe5@gmail.com.
Please share with others and help spread the word!
Bri
Melrose Leadership Academy
Email: mlaschoolquestions@gmail.com
Website: www.melroseleadershipacademy.org
Location: 4730 Fleming Avenue, Oakland, CA, USA
Phone: (510)535-3832
Facebook: facebook.com/melroseleadershipacademy