Kids Suffer the Most
Regarding “Parents furious as Bay Area schools disrupt classrooms, swap teachers”: Kids are heartbroken having to say goodbye to their cherished teachers. Kindergarten classes in Oakland are being split in half and divided between teachers. Classes that have fewer students than others are being divided again and those teachers are being sent to other under-staffed schools. Elementary school mergers and a cascade of substitutes fill the classrooms as permanent teachers take leave. Parents losing teachers are unhappy, while Parents gaining them are grateful. The Oakland school district is drowning under supply and demand, trying to keep everyone happy, and filling schools. They describe consolidation as a “necessary evil” (Tucker, 2023).
Parents, on the other hand, are losing faith in the public school system and are starting to turn to charter schools. Their concerns are understandable. Kids at these schools come from socioeconomic and racially disadvantaged households with academic performances that are considered below average. The last thing they need is further instability, unfamiliarity, and safety concerns to get to the classroom. While the school district and parents are trying to figure out the best solution, the kids are the ones getting hurt.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
Oakland School District takes on mergers, class cuts, and upset parents while kids are the ones most affected
Arin Haas | SFChronicle | October 6, 2023