Pushback Against DeVos: Public Schools Are Our Best Future
An energized mix of teachers  Glen View neighborhood residents and an Oakland Unified School Board member  Roseann Torres  who co-sponsored a resolution last month making OUSD one of the stateâs first âsanctuaryâ districts  were holding protest signs praising public schools and rejecting Donald Trumpâs campaign pledge to deport millions  target Muslim-Americans and strip LGBT and reproductive rights.
Standing with students and their families was the priority on the eve of  Trump âs inauguration  Gorham said  not bashing DeVos  a billionaire who never attended public schools or sent her children to any  nor served on a locally elected school board  and whose family foundation has given multi-millions to K-12 privatization entrepreneurs.
Gregory Ewing  the new superintendent  beamed and responded  echoing what many of the walk-in protesters at Oaklandâs Edna Brewer Middle School were telling the students and communityâthat he would use all of his legal authority to protect students from the worst threats posed by the incoming  Trump â administration.
The fight over preserving  funding and improving Oaklandâs traditional K-12 schools was already very heated  Armendariz said  and that was before  Trump  campaigned on pledges to target undocumented immigrants  which strikes deep fears in this community.
âWeâve done a few walk-ins at our schools and itâs been mostly centered around public school funding and supporting public schools â he said  recounting the recent activism. âIn Oakland this school year  whatâs happening is a lot of people are more on edge or more hyper-aware because during the school board elections  late in the election there was a lot of investigation into the funding of our school board candidatesâ¦ And then  Trump  got elected  and  he  ran on the same message that the Go Public Schools people run on  âWe need options.â âWe need school choice.â Thatâs where it all ties together.â
But while Trumpâs threats may be a tipping point that will ignite activism and resistance unlike anything seen in America in decades  Torres said there was a wider set of challenges from privatizers that were ongoing and acceleratingâespecially with the  Trump  administrationâs pro-privatization crusaders.
An energized mix of teachers  Glen View neighborhood residents and an Oakland Unified School Board member  Roseann Torres  who co-sponsored a resolution last month making OUSD one of the stateâs first âsanctuaryâ districts  were holding protest signs praising public schools and rejecting Donald Trumpâs campaign pledge to deport millions  target Muslim-Americans and strip LGBT and reproductive rights.
Standing with students and their families was the priority on the eve of  [TGT]  âs inauguration  Gorham said  not bashing DeVos  a billionaire who never attended public schools or sent her children to any  nor served on a locally elected school board  and whose family foundation has given multi-millions to K-12 privatization entrepreneurs.
Gregory Ewing  the new superintendent  beamed and responded  echoing what many of the walk-in protesters at Oaklandâs Edna Brewer Middle School were telling the students and communityâthat he would use all of his legal authority to protect students from the worst threats posed by the incoming  Trump â administration.
The fight over preserving  funding and improving Oaklandâs traditional K-12 schools was already very heated  Armendariz said  and that was before   [TGT] campaigned on pledges to target undocumented immigrants  which strikes deep fears in this community.
âWeâve done a few walk-ins at our schools and itâs been mostly centered around public school funding and supporting public schools â he said  recounting the recent activism. âIn Oakland this school year  whatâs happening is a lot of people are more on edge or more hyper-aware because during the school board elections  late in the election there was a lot of investigation into the funding of our school board candidatesâ¦ And then   [TGT]   got elected  and  he  ran on the same message that the Go Public Schools people run on  âWe need options.â âWe need school choice.â Thatâs where it all ties together.â
But while Trumpâs threats may be a tipping point that will ignite activism and resistance unlike anything seen in America in decades  Torres said there was a wider set of challenges from privatizers that were ongoing and acceleratingâespecially with the  Trump  administrationâs pro-privatization crusaders.