AB1912 Ad-Hoc Committee

August 26 – On a Monday night in a former elementary school in West Oakland, about 25 residents came together to start an unprecedented community-led process: What metrics should the city’s school district use to decide the Equity Impacts of any potential school closures or consolidation in the current or upcoming 2025-26 school year?

The ad-hoc committee of parents, teachers, union stewards, and interested community members gathered due to AB 1912, a new state law that requires some districts to engage in a 12-month process – a process that starts with community input. 

“Our mission is to support our children first,” said Sondra Aguilera, Chief Academic Officer at Oakland Unified School District. “We need to come up with a vision of schools that offer wrap-around services for our families and students, and create schools that provide more than just real estate, but provide schools that foster real love.”

The AB 1912 guidance is intended to ensure a detailed, community-driven process that offered some of the Ad Hoc Committee participants reason for hope.

“We have an opportunity here to be creative,” said one teacher. “We’ve all experienced school closures before and it’s traumatic. But in this case, we’re the ones who really get an opportunity to do it right. We get to set the course how this will go down, and I have to believe we can go about this in a creative, smart way.”

The first thing the participants did was align that equity was at the heart of the decision-making process – acknowledging who will be impacted most by any school reductions – and understanding the law of AB 1912. Right now, dozens of districts across the state, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, are undergoing their own school closure processes and this marks the first time-ever Oakland has launched a committee process guided by the AB1912 requirements.

In AB 1912’s nine-step process shown on the screen, some participants felt step eight “notify parents” came too late in the process. 

“We can move that up,” one participant said. “It’s on us to make this process a better fit for Oakland.”
The group will meet two more times before sending their recommendations to the OUSD School Board.

Detailed Meeting Summary

September 4– On September 4, 2024, the committee held its second meeting, continuing their crucial discussions on reviewing the measures that would evaluate the equity impact of potential school consolidations and closures in Oakland Unified School District.

The second meeting began with a review of the work the committee accomplished in the first meeting. Then they moved into relationship-building activities, helping committee members connect across their diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This effort aligns with one of their stated norms: to "support and challenge one another with compassion and humility." It's clear the committee recognizes that strong collaborative relationships are crucial for the challenging work ahead.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing and discussing the nine equity metrics required by AB 1912 legislation for evaluating school consolidations and closures. The committee reaffirmed these metrics and engaged in thoughtful conversations about how to potentially prioritize or weight them in the district’s decision-making process.

Afterwards, the committee also began brainstorming additional metrics to help thoroughly assess equity impacts of potential school consolidations and closures. Their goal appears to be developing a comprehensive framework that truly centers student learning, well-being, and equitable access to quality education in the face of these changes. As one committee member emphasized, they must "center student learning and well-being" in all their deliberations.

To inform their work, the committee examined how other school districts have approached similar equity measures for school consolidations and closures. This research seems aimed at considering a wide range of best practices while tailoring their approach to Oakland's unique needs.

The next meeting is scheduled for September 10th, where the committee plans to finalize their deliberations and prepare recommendations for the Board of Education. They remain committed to a process that is transparent, equitable, and centered on what's best for Oakland's students in the context of potential school consolidations and closures. As stated in their charge, they aim to "provide recommendations to the Board of Education on the measures that should be used to evaluate the equity impact of any school consolidations or closures."

The committee appreciates the community's ongoing engagement in this critical work. They view public input and perspectives as invaluable in navigating these complex decisions around school consolidations and closures.

This observer sees a committed group working diligently to address these challenging issues with care and thoughtfulness. The community's continued attention and input will be crucial as this process of evaluating potential school consolidations and closures moves forward.

On September 10, 2024, the Ad Hoc Committee held its third and final meeting, marking a significant milestone in their work to make recommendations for how the district can evaluate the equity impact of potential school consolidations and closures. It was a productive session that built upon the foundation laid in previous meetings and moved decisively towards concrete recommendations.

The meeting opened with district leadership grounding the group in OUSD's mission and vision, emphasizing that their work is primarily for the students of Oakland and aimed at creating a brighter future for them. The group then reviewed the meeting norms, ensuring all members were aligned in their approach to discussions.

The committee's goals for this session were ambitious: to further strengthen collaborative relationships, narrow down proposed additional measures, engage in a decision-making protocol, and prepare recommendations for the Board of Education. These objectives underscored the committee's commitment to thorough, equitable, and actionable outcomes.

A relationship-building activity called "Mingle" set a collaborative tone for the day's work. Following this, the committee revisited their charge and the origin of AB 1912, reinforcing the context and importance of their task.

Building on the work of previous meetings, the committee reviewed the prioritized impact measure weights. The highest-ranking measures included the condition of school facilities, transportation, pupil demographics, availability of special education programs, and environmental factors. This prioritization reflects the committee's focus on tangible, student-centered criteria.

A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to reaching consensus on additional measures and their definitions. In a demonstration of the committee's responsiveness to diverse perspectives, they incorporated a new consideration raised by a member: the capacity of leadership to manage the process of school closures or consolidations.

The committee then engaged in a structured decision-making process, using a "fist to five" ranking system to evaluate proposed additional measures (in addition to the nine required measures). After thorough discussion and voting, five additional measures were adopted with high confidence: 1) safety, 2) school provisioning and wellness, 3) undue impact on families, 4) impact on special education students, and 5) geographic analysis.

This observer noted the committee's careful balance between comprehensiveness and practicality in their selection of measures. Their decision not to add too many metrics shows a commitment to creating a focused, implementable framework for evaluating equity impacts.

As the meeting concluded, four committee members were nominated to collaborate with Partners in School Innovation and district leadership in finalizing the recommendations and presenting them to the Board of Education on September 25th. This final step demonstrates the committee's dedication to seeing their work through to practical application.

Throughout the meeting, the committee's commitment to equity, student well-being, and community input was evident. Their thorough approach to defining and prioritizing measures reflects a deep understanding of the complex factors involved in school consolidations and closures.

As this process moves towards its conclusion with the upcoming Board presentation, the community's continued engagement remains crucial. The committee's work provides a strong foundation for informed decision-making, but ongoing public input and attention will be vital as OUSD navigates these challenging decisions.

The ad hoc committee has worked diligently and thoughtfully to address a complex issue, always keeping the best interests of Oakland's students at the forefront of their deliberations. Their recommendations promise to be a valuable tool in ensuring that any potential school consolidations or closures are evaluated through a lens of equity and student impact.

Detailed Meeting Summary