Laney and Merritt colleges, the two largest schools in the East Bay’s Peralta Community College District, will merge next year and become “Oakland City College” as part of a massive transformation aimed at halting a steep dropout rate among students enrolled across dozens of degree programs.
By fall 2027, the sprawling four-school Peralta college district of about 16,000 students is expected to become three schools — Oakland City College, Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda — under the efficiency plan endorsed Tuesday night by the district’s Board of Trustees.
Peralta’s Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson described a districtwide metamorphosis with a new focus on getting students to finish school. The plan adds more evening, weekend and online classes, as well as streamlined enrollment systems for all students — including those who want to take college classes while still in high school, she told the trustees…