By Shaless Peoples

Thank you Supt. Antwan Wilson for your invitation to hear feedback on this matter. I’d like to respond to two key points you brought up in your March 31 Op-Ed published on the Post News Group website, “America Needs Oakland to Succeed”.

Teacher Salaries:

To the understanding of many OUSD parents, community members, and stakeholders, there are discrepancies in your statement because:

Teachers have had just a 3.25 percent raise over the past 10 years, which should be considered;

1.5 percent of this raise is dependent on some teachers paying more for their health care, presumably resulting in less money to the teachers net and more money to the district in terms of cost savings;

1.5 percent of this raise is dependent on longer working hours;

Only 3 percent for the first year is guaranteed, the remaining 7.5% is contingent on revenue;

Until the District closes the gap between current salaries in our district and current salaries in surrounding districts, we will continue to lose excellent teachers. OUSD is 7.6 percent to 15 percent below average (per GO Public Schools). So our district must make up that difference AND keep up with ongoing raises offered by neighboring districts.

Unless the district can prove otherwise, I’m sure you can see how while 13.5 percent over 18 months sounds marvelous and wonderful, it really doesn’t amount to any viable progress towards your efforts of improving OUSD “starting with our people.”

California/OUSD Low Funding:

Yes, funding should be increased for the education sector.

That said, let’s be clear here: OUSD has received an additional $42 million in unrestricted funds in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 and the governor’s proposed budget will provide $24 million more in 2015-2016. That is an increase of $66 million in funding for OUSD.

Salary of Superintendent of Schools: $280,000/per year.

Salary of Chief of Schools (a brand new position/title that you created): $175,000/per year. Allan Smith, a colleague of yours from Denver Public Schools, currently holds this position.

Salary of Chief of Organizational Effectiveness and Culture (a brand new position/title you created): $155,000/per year. Yana Smith, the spouse of Allan Smith currently holds this position.

Salary of (Interim) Head of Facilities & Management: $360,000/per year.

Unless the district can prove otherwise, I’m sure you can see what clearly is a profound discrepancy, and how pontificating “Low Coffers!” is just simply inadequate at best, and a major insult to the intelligence of everyone involved in this process at worst.

Recently, a parent, who also happened to be a teacher, suggested that we as community need to push our state for more funding.

I agree with this opinion.

I also believe that the first step to pushing the state, is to demonstrate that we are capable of being fiscally responsible with what we have. I liken this point to allowance for my child: If I observe that my son is losing his money, not saving some of it, and spending frivolously, do you think I am going to respond to his request for an increase in his allowance with yes?

The same notion applies to the relationship between OUSD and state leadership.

The process of ensuring that our actions are indeed fiscally sound involves having productive and transparent dialogue with district leadership so that we are all confident that any action being taken are ethical, legal, and just.

As a parent of an OUSD student, and a product of a family of educators, I for one, Superintendent Wilson, fully intend on giving you feedback and pushing back on a district level until I am confident that all of the decisions and actions coming out of the district truly do place our people first.

Shaless Peoples is a resident and parent in Oakland, where she volunteers at her son’s school.

Several hundred students, parents and teachers held a rally and marched through the streets of East Oakland this week to demonstrate their solidarity with the teachers’ union in its contract negotiations with the school district and to demand better public schools for students in Oakland.

<p><p>The rally at San Antonio Park and march to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) headquarters at 1000 Broadway was held on Tuesday, when the district was closed for Cesar Chavez Day.

“This is just the beginning,” said science teacher Natalia Cooper, speaking at the rally.

“The OEA (Oakland Education Association) should be in the forefront of the changes in Oakland schools,” said Cooper, a member of Classroom Struggle, a group of educators from different schools in the teachers’ union.

It’s time to be “honest about the disparities between hills schools and flatlands schools,” she continued.

Kim Davis of Oakland Parents United called for higher teacher pay.

“OUSD needs to make teacher retention their first priority by compensating teachers fairly and giving them the support and respect they deserve,” she said.

“I want the district and the school board members to know that parents are paying attention. We are getting educated, and we support our teachers.”

Event organizers released a statement that focused on a number of their key issues: poor working conditions for teachers and school staff, which lead to high teacher turnover every year: opposition to the growth of charters schools – the need to keep schools public; the lack of hard caps for special education caseloads, which allows for “ballooning” classes in special education classrooms and “unmanageable caseloads” for counselors.

Other major issues: a “top-heavy budget that prioritizes high-level administrators far above the needs of Oakland’s classrooms; and spends more money for school police rather than for counselors and restorative justice programs.”

“Public schools are supposed to be run by the people – through their elected school board. You have to stay on the school board so they do what you want them to do,” said local attorney Federico Chavez, who is Cesar Chavez’s nephew.

“We’re here because we love our children,” said attorney Dan Siegel, who is a former member of the Oakland Board of Education.

“We have to demand that our teachers are paid what they’re worth. A teacher starts at barely $35,000 a year,” said Siegel, who urged people to vote next year to replace board members that do not represent them.

In response to the march, the school district released a statement Tuesday on teacher negotiations.

“We fully appreciate the inspiration for (this) march, especially the outpouring of support for our teachers from parents and students,” the statement said.

“We are 100 percent committed to our on-going negotiations at the bargaining table with the Oakland Education Association (OEA), the union representing all teachers in OUSD-run schools,” according to the statement. “The negotiations began long before Supt. Wilson joined the district on July 1, 2014, though it was not until his arrival that a solid pay increase and proposal package were offered.”

For the complete OUSD statement, go to http://publicportal.ousd.k12.ca.us/Page/12735

The Oakland Unified School District administration bypassed Board of Education approval in order to pay Lance Jackson $30,000 a month to oversee the district’s multimillion dollar construction program, the Oakland Post has learned.

< p>While the district is conducting a search for a new person to head the work, Jackson is overseeing OUSD’s construction programs and repairs, maintenance and custodial services.

Uncertain that the Board of Education would be willing to vote for the $30,000 a month interim contract for Jackson, the administration has decided to pull the contract and instead to pay the consultant out of the ongoing contract the district has with Jackson’s company, Seville Group Inc.

Jackson is Chief Operating Officer of Seville, a construction management firm that provides oversight of OUSD construction projects.

The Post recently reported that Jackson was hired for the interim position at a rate of $360,000 a year – more than double the $156,000 a year received by former chief of construction management Tim White. Jackson’s annual salary is higher than the $280,000 annual salary that Supt. Antwan Wilson receives.

Passed by the board under Acting Supt. Gary Yee, the district’s $10.9 million contract with Seville was approved to provide program management services for Measure B and Measure J, and capital projects on behalf of the district in the Division of Facilities Planning and Management.

The term of the contract commenced on Aug. 14, 2013 and concludes by Dec. 31, 2015. Seville received $4 million from the district in 2014.

Raising questions on the details of the agreement with Jackson, the Oakland Post asked the district administration what will happen to the Seville staff working in the district and the work they were doing when that money is transferred to cover Mr. Jackson’s pay.

In response, district spokesman Troy Flint said, “When working on large projects of the kind SGI (Seville) handles for OUSD, there’s flexibility to adjust, in fact, it’s a necessity. Lance’s contract is not going to impact the work delivered or the manner in which it’s delivered as, relative to our agreement with SGI, it’s a small piece of the pie.”

In response to the question, whether the agreement with Seville allows for the company to head up the facilities department, Flint said, “There’s not explicit wording in the contract to cover this specific circumstance, but the general language of the contract indicates that decisions can be made as needed to facilitate SGI’s successful management of the projects under its scope–and this falls under that consideration.”

The Post also emailed several questions to Jacqueline Minor, head of OUSD’s Legal Department.

“Can you please tell (the Post) what is your legal rational for your decision when Minor approved or advised the administration to pull that contract and to instead pay Mr. Jackson from the district’s ongoing contract with SGI?”

In addition, the Post asked: “How do you respond to the public perception that the decision appears to be a way to circumvent the decision-making power of the governing board?”

Minor did not respond.