Two more charter schools received decisions this week about their futures in Oakland.
In a five to two vote, the county board of education denied Oakland Charter High School’s renewal, citing significant drops in student achievement, demographics inconsistent with the neighborhood, and pervasive governance and fiscal issues. With the denial, the school will close when its charter expires on June 30, 2025, but school leaders could appeal the decision to the state board of education.
Leadership Public Schools Oakland R&D was approved for two-years, but county officials will add some new terms, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, that school leaders will need to deliver on if it’s to stay open in the future. Trustees noted that the school, which shares a campus with Castlemont High School in East Oakland, has seen a precipitous decline in enrollment (from a high of 498 students in 2019-2020 to 173 students this year), as well as a disproportionately low number of Black students. During the 2023-2024 school year, 3% of the school’s enrollment was Black, compared to 28% at Castlemont and 20% in OUSD overall. Students achievement in reading and math has also declined over the last five years…