A Letter to the School Board from Oakland Families, Educators and Community Members
Dear Board Members,
Forty-nine thousand students attend public schools in Oakland. They are counting on you to find and hire an enduring leader with the plan, the leadership talent, and the long-term commitment to make excellence the norm for all students.
It’s critical because the quality of education that students receive in our public schools today will have a lasting impact on their life choices. Their education will affect their chances to attend college, get a job they love, and support a family.
While there have been improvements in student achievement, a lot more work remains to be done to ensure all students from our schools ready to succeed in college, careers and life. Our reality today remains that two-thirds of our students don’t read or do math on grade level, and over a quarter don’t graduate.
We need a superintendent who will address these gaps and deliver on the promise of an excellent education for all of our students.
To get there, members of the GO network detail, in their letter, the need for the following qualities in our next superintendent: a systems thinker and experienced educator who is community-driven, equity-focused, and committed to Oakland.
I hope that the voices of Oakland families, educators and community members represented in the letter will inform your work moving forward with the search for a new superintendent. We are excited about continuing to work with you.
In Community,
Ash
