Mike Hutchinson is a member of the elected Oakland school board. He shared the following post. Oakland has been a Petri dish for the Broad Foundation and other “reform” billionaires for nearly 20 years. Broadies increased the number of charter schools while closing more and more public schools. When he ran for school board, opposing this trend, Mike was endorsed by the Network for Public Education.
He wrote:
I need your help. All of my friends, supporters and allies in Oakland and across the country, please join us on Zoom on Tuesday at 5pm PST to help us stop school closures in Oakland.
NoSchoolClosures
EquityOrElse
Tuesday February 8th the Oakland School Board is having a special meeting (on Zoom) to have a final vote on closing 10 neighborhood public schools in Oakland at the end of this year.
We need as many people on the zoom call as possible. We need all of OUSD and all of our allies across the state and country on this Zoom.
Oakland needs your support to stand up for quality neighborhood public schools.
Last week we had 2000 people on the zoom, tomorrow we need more. Please share with your networks and ask everyone to join us at 5pm PST on Zoom.
Special school board meeting Tuesday February 8th, 5pm.
Zoom link:
Mike Hutchinson Oakland School Board District 5
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Former OUSD teacher here, now teaching in New Orleans (all charter, and the only school I would work at down here)…thank you for posting link, I WILL be there tonight. I’m just so livid I don’t know what to do with myself. Thanks always to Michael Hutchinson, OEA, and all the amazing educators fighting for OUSD (and ALL) kids.
Bless you, and good luck tonight!!!!
I will attend the Zoom. I hope others will do so.
Thank you! I’ll be on the zoom as well.
Wow, thanks for coming!
Apologies for being off topic but……..it is related to the war on our public schools.
From NBC News: Conservative lawmakers in Iowa introduced a bill this week that would require cameras to be installed in nearly every K-12 school classroom across the state, allowing parents to see lifestreams. [snip] The bill is the latest to be introduced by conservative legislators in states across the U.S., including Florida, who have launched efforts against what they say is critical race theory.
The Iowa bill, H.F. 2177, would require that cameras be placed in every public school classroom in the state, except for physical education and special education classes.
The cameras would feed to livestreams that could be viewed on the internet by parents, guardians and others. end quote
There is no end to GOP/libertarian hostility to the real public schools, they will do anything to sabotage the public schools and their teachers.
And who is going to pay for all these cameras, monitors, wiring, electronic infrastructure, and maybe extra staff needed? It’s the GOP, they won’t raise taxes to fund for the I Spy cameras; I guess they will fire teachers or close schools to fund the cameras?
This is a copycat bill of one that has been proposed in Florida. Right wing poison spreads quickly in red state America. Not only does it sound like Orwellian “1984,” it is a waste of tax dollars that will enable unhinged parents to further harass busy teachers.
Or how about Indiana House Bill 3411 which would require that all curriculum, books used and referenced, programs, videos, curriculum map for everyday be available online by Aug 1.
http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2022/bills/house/1134#document-7671e6e6
Duane, please let us know if this horrible legislation passes. What an insult to teachers.
Hopefully the posters here that are from Indiana can help us out in that regard. I heard about it from another retired teacher here in Missouri.
Thank you to Mike Hutchinson for including the community in the problem-solving. We need the elected officials to treat Oakland citizens as partners in the community. It is not enough for them to hire outside finance advisors and disenfranchise entire communities.
Exactly
Thank you, Mike Hutchinson, for your efforts. I am online now on the Zoom meeting. The student speakers are doing a great job. Best to you and your community.
Thank you Mr. Hutchinson! This is heartbreaking to see schools closed.
The Board voted to close the schools 4-3-2 at 1am with 1000 people still on Zoom, many still wanting to speak.
Unconscionable.
2 Abstentions? Gutless.
Oaktown needs another strike.
A revolution.