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Our Public Schools Are Not for Sale Library program details/hours: Calendar, page 15 Dear Editor: doing their job by closing schools. They throw salt into our wounds as they say it’s not in their jurisdic­ tion, yet have conversations be­ hind closed doors t...

Schools Changes 1999 (58% in 2004 versus 28% in 1999). However, according to district data, our enrollment has been on a consistent tra- jectory downward since 1999, and the enrollment loss has occurred primarily within the African-American commun...

by Ride for a Reason Staff and Organizer Paul Vetter O It all began nine years ago with a handful of parents of children in public schools dismayed by deep budget cuts to public education during the recession. To protest on behalf of their kids, four riders cranked to Sacramento, bearing a petition for funds for schools. Although the era of deep budget cuts may be over, Calif...

By Mike Napolitano

Cyclists Carry Word of Public Schools’ Needs to the Capitol In this photo taken a t t h e s u c c e s s f u l conclusion of a previous by Mike Napolitano Ride for a Reason is a bike ride to Sacra- mento to draw attention to the budget crisis for public schools in California, ...

CEQA Exemption Project’s EIR Disregarded Rockridge Schools The issue with the Caldecott Improve- ment Project is not whether a fourth bore should be built, but to acknowledge and mitigate the project’s impacts on nearby schools, residents, and the natural environ- ment. Caltrans’ environmental imp...

By Kerry Hamill

Oakland Schools Face Sweeping Changes, Closings in 2005 Closures, charters, New Small Autonomous Schools (NSAS) part of controversial solutions to OUSD ills by Kerry Hamill, Member, Oakland School Board Smandate to re-make troubled schools contained in th...

By Debby Marx

Currently, Oakland schools include several variations on the target configu- rations. These include middle schools with 5th through 8th grades, junior high schools with 7th and 8th grades or with 7th through 9th grades, and elementary schools that continue through 8...

By Cliff Rechtschaffen

Support Local Public Schools: Join the 17th Annual Ride for a Reason by Cliff Rechtschaffen and Nora Dye In 2009, four parents biked from Oak- land Tech High School to the State Capitol in Sacramento to support public education. The ride began as a protest against the...

A system of more independent charter schools is no solu- tion. Oakland has 17 non-union charter schools, which educate 10 percent of the  SCHOOLS PLAN STALLS, CONTINUED NEXT PAGE Feel free to be yourself again. In the meantime, Ward continues to launch one controversial initiative a...

API Ratings for North Oakland Schools Schools Plan Stalls from previous page school rank Number of Academic students North Oakland Elementary Schools district’s children. With a few exceptions, students do NOT perform to a higher educational standard in most of them, as rankin...

Schools: A Reason to Ride from page 4 years to become a fun event with more than 200 cyclists — teachers, parents, students and community members — supported by dozens of volunteers. Late springtime weather and the satisfying exertion of a tough a...

Schools Rally to Beat Cuts There’s a new principal at Claremont Middle School this fall, and Arts Far West has lost part of its name and its K through 5 student body. Peralta Elementary has lost state and federal funds supporting several programs....

By Cliff Rechtschaffen

rides, cyclists take a bus from Oakland Tech to the starting point). Beneficiary schools use these funds for books, sports and science equip- ment, after-school programs, and salaries for counselors, librarians, and reading specialists. To sign up or volunteer, please visit https://www.r4rschools.org. For questions, please ema...

■Providing Support to Schools: Oak- land is engaged in the Intensive Support School Initiative at five schools (Brookfield Elementary, Castlemont, Fremont and McClymonds High Schools, Frick Ele- mentary). The initiative provides specific resources that will assist scho...

Local Schools Need You! Coffee and Snacks for Temescal Creek Cleanup Volunteers Saturday January 28: Meet at 9 am, DMV Parking Lot Please join the DMV Neighbors beside Temescal Creek for a volunteer creek cleanup that includes weeding, raking, sweeping,...

Town Hall Meeting Topic RCPC Presents: Rockridge Public Schools Forum School reps to discuss programs and opportunities for involvement by Mike Taylor, RCPC Schools Committee T Architect’s sketch of proposed Khana Peena Restaurant at College and Bryant. RCPC Drops Opposition to Proposed New Indian Rest...

| am running for school board because Oakland Public Schools are not functioning well. We have a top heavy -entral admnistration, and class sizes that are among the largest in the state. There ‘+s no coordination of curriculum between schools nor is there a plan that addresses the problems of overcr...

letic event. The idea for the ride began with a handful of parents of children in public schools dismayed by deep budget cuts to lic education and by California’s ranking at 4lst among states in school funding. Moved to protest on behalf of their kids, four riders pedaled to Sacramento bearing a petition for increased school funding. ...

By Paul Vetter

➧➧Schools: A Reason to Ride, page 4 MAXI LILLEY THE ROCKRIDGE REALTOR® WITH A designer’s eye My background in interior design is one of the reasons buyers and sellers choose me for their real estate transactions. With 14 years of living in Rockridge...

Schools, churches, clubhouses and libraries followed. Rockridge became a real community. The Rockridge House Tour September 26; Make Note of It By 1911 Rockridge residents had already formed the “Vernon-Rockridge Improvement Club,” precursor of RC...

Schools: Sheila Jordan On Budgets And Battles

By Alona Rivord

Awardee schools hold the title for two years. Some Claremont teachers will be honored with the other schools at an April event at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

6th Annual Volunteer Fair for Oakland Schools Find a volunteer program that’s right for you to help Oak- land students. Meet the new Superintendent of Schools. Get linked to school-based volunteer opportunities that match your interests, schedules and abilities. Volunteers fully train...

By Shelly Fierston

maintenance, and security services, have been stripped as the schools focus on the fundamental needs of students and their teachers. In spite of this, schools like Chabot, Hillcrest and others have flourished due to an outpouring of community involvement. At Claremont, huge changes have occurred as a long-ti...

By Jessica Pitt

... Oakland School Board Member O Central to any discussion about restor- ing local governance is how to continue the momentum for improving academic performance. Since 1999, when organized groups of parents from Oakland’s lowest per- forming schools banded together to demand change, student achievement has akland’s new state Assembly member, Sandre Swanson, will likely spark some long overdue discussions in Sacramento this year about the future governance of Oakland public schools. On...

By Jessica Bullen

Experience Corps: Older Adults Help Transform Oakland Schools by Jessica Bullen, Experience Corps Field Manager O Letters to The Editor The Rockridge News welcomes letters to the editor. Include your name, address and a phone number for verification. Only your name will appear with your letter. Lette...

COLLINS ROOFING Family Owned & Operated Arts Learning In Our Schools For those who inquired last month about the arts learning program in our schools, please contact Alameda County Teaching and Coaching Exchange for Arts Educators, Liz Lindsley 510/452-0990 or Lindsley@cruzio.com. The next meeting of the ex...

...ing towards the sky.” He argues that since the building is located in a gateway position, it should be an important piece of the neighborhood’s urban design. “I’m afraid that this design leaves a lot to be desired.” Six of Oakland’s public schools are located in the Rockridge area: Claremont Middle School, Chabot Elementary, Far West Arts, North Oakland Commu- nity Charter School (NOCCS), Peralta Elementary and Oakland Technical High School. Representatives from each of these school...

agenda: RCPC Town Hall Meeting Thursday, September 16, 7:30 p.m. Rockridge Branch Library 5366 College Avenue at Manila, Community Room (Upstairs)  Rockridge Public Schools Forum Meet representatives from the Rock- ridge area’s six public schools and learn how you can contribute to their success.

Elementary as well as the other Oakland public schools in the Rock- ridge area. It is so important that Rockridge families be aware of the strong educational options that exist within our neighborhood! It begs the question, is a car-length piece of gutter being dirty for 30 days worth $48? As ...

Forced Closures Poor Way To Fix Oakland Schools KIRIN in the Year of The Monkey School Board member Kerry Hamill says cuts should not rile parents and impact student achievement Restaurant approved despite objections of residents by Cy Gulassa Dby Hiroko Kurihara, RCPC Board Member T Ke...

Helping Our Schools Public schools are an important part of our community, and you’re invited to provide support, from money and materials to time and energy. Here’s what’s needed. What can you contribute? Claremont Middle School • Contributions for a $10,000...

By Jacqueline Tasch

 Rockridge Public Schools Meeting Find out which school won RCPC’s first Community Service Grant! Kerry Hamill, Rockridge’s School Board representative, will open discus- sion about how the Oakland Unified School District plans to face budget deficits (see accompan...

The schools in North Oakland vary widely in test scores, safety programs, and parent involvement. We must have strong leadership at all of our schools —a District One area school council is one way to begin to share ideas over instructional strategies...

schools, whether charter or private, is another. As OUSD has seen enroll- ment fall, charter schools have gained ground. Charter school enrollment rose by 1,200 since 2014/15 to 12,163 according to OUSD’s website. Another trend that cannot be blam...

Despite recent increases in state funding, our public schools still face critical budgetary chal- lenges, not only for enrichment programs but also to support basic needs. All our participating schools serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and many have very limited fundraising ...

Bike Ride for a Reason: Support Oakland & Alameda Public Schools, April 25

• Greater support for our local schools due to increasing enrollment • Finally, a likely contribution to a reduction in Oakland’s homeless population SOLD IN ROCKRIDGE 6 Offers! Now comes the hard stuff. The letters to the editor last month highlighted some of the problems we wi...

By Sam Davis

Oakland Schools Spring Back, Slowly by Sam Davis, OUSD Vice President and Director, District 1 Ithe final two months of the school year should not be seen as predictive of what will happen in the coming fall session, just as the first attempts at distance...

- Fundraising - Schools - Land Use - The Rockridge - Parks and News

Become a Volunteer Story Reader in Oakland Pre-schools Sign up now for OPL's volunteer program Books for Wider Horizons. Training series starts early October at Rockridge Library. Learn to present

Riders for Big Reasons: Fund Schools; Lobby Lawmakers

Rockridge Schools Gear Up for Spring Fundraising Events

By Becki Couch-Alvarado

Ride for a Reason: Support Public Schools in Oakland by Becki Couch-Alvarado, Mike Mages, Mike Napolitano, event organizers. Somehow it happened. We became accustomed to teacher wish lists; paper drives; peeling paint; broken lockers; 20th century technology to prepare kids for th...

Tech Grads’ Success is Evidence of Oakland Schools’ Quality: 100% Move on to Further Education

By Jody London

resources. And who knows, maybe I’ll see you there – doing your home work. The Rockridge News congratulates the Oakland Technical High School 2012 graduating class and wishes them the best in all their future endeavors. Schools students will attend include: University of California, Merced University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Hawaii University of Michigan University of Orego...

Auctions • Support • Schools

Pg 4: Schools Funds Ride Pg 5: Marathon in Rockridge Pg 4: Chabot Auction & Gala Pg 12: FROG Park Notes

By Don Kinkead

Interview: Mayor Jean Quan, Part 2 Yard Sale Funds Schools by Don Kinkead, editor, The Rockridge News commercial centers should have interest- ing shops within walking distances and be well-served by public transportation. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Turning to a proposal by AC Transit to create dedic...

■Underfunded public schools are hold- ing fundraisers. Pages 6 and 7 have details. October RCPC Town Hall Meeting AGENDA: Mayoral Candidates Co-Sponsor: League of Women Voters 14 October 21, 2010 | 7:30-9 p.m. Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Avenue at Manila, ...

Ride for Schools programs at Claremont and Tech. To ride or to make a donation, visit our Web site: www.claremontms.org/Claremontms/ RideDetails.html. For more information, please contact Mike Mages at michaelmages@mac.com or Mike Napolitano at mikenapolit...

Our local schools need your help now, more than ever, to keep these outstanding programs alive. How can you help? Right now, we are recruiting riders. Based on initial outreach at Claremont and Tech, we have signed up 20 riders including three teachers, a s...

District 1 Schools Meeting Peace Corps Information Session: ■ ■ Learn about volunteering overseas in education, health, busi- ness, environment and more. No upper age limit. Tues., 9/29, 6:30 to 8pm. Info: Heather Driscoll, 452-8444, sfevents@peacecorps.gov ...

noise pollution impacts from the highway, impacts that will be made even worse by this project. Excluding the noise and air-quality impacts of project-generated traffic on these schools, as well as on thousands of other nearby residents, is unconscionable. A governor who is allegedly passionate about helping kids and who claims a leader- ship role in creating a greener environment should not be offering Caltrans a blank c...

By Shelly Fierston

Help the Schools, Help the Community: A Perspective

By Jessica Pitt

Assemblyman: Restore Local Control to Oakland Schools

By Jessica Pitt

...allow the school board to resume power in 2008 and select a new superintendent. To that end, current state administrator Kimberly Statham will likely be on a short list of possible candidates. She continues to earn high marks in the school Schools, page  ¬ Got Kitchens? The Rockridge Kitchen Tour Returns in 2007 by Jennifer Edmister R Tour guests line up to see Julie Harris’s home kitchen on Lawton Avenue during the 2005 Rockridge Kitchen Tour. ockridge is well known for many wonde...

 RESTAURANT, PAGE 7  RCPC SCHOOLS FORUM, PAGE 7

solidating or closing schools, but doing so unilaterally is not a productive way to fix things,” District One school board member Kerry Hamill said in an interview with The Rockridge News. GRAPHIC: ASAHI/KO- IMARI/HIMI/SARA Ward is no exception. His first proposal, mad...

By Jacqueline Tasch

Walking the Walk: The Kitchen Tour, Schools And Politicians Imagine

Arts, Schools, Libraries in Jeopardy Again As we all know by now, Governor Davis is having one tough time trying to keep the state from dissolving in red ink this year and next. The sheer size of the deficit is beyond what most of us can imagine. But as...

New Oakland Schools chief lays

out his life story and his prescription for Oakland Schools

Oakland Schools Superintendent Dennis Chaconas, pictured during his talk ata

By Susan Montauk

Oakland Schools Super intendent 4 Dennis

By Raissa Lerner

Public Schools Update: Where Is Your Measure A Money Going?

By Lynda O'Neil

How Will Measure A Affect Rockridge Schools ¢

Both of these schools have provided our girls with an excellent education in which they have been challenged, while creating an atmosphere where everyone is valued and en- couraged.

Several other schools have also not re-\

Childcare/preschools 11% 11%

Child care/preschools Housing: senior Restaurants

Area Public Schools Alive And Well

- Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

- Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

‘ Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

The strongest schools are those in which teachers, parents, principals and students work together to establish goals and directions for the school. The desire of parents at Chabot Elementary School to be directly involved in principal selection IS a positive ex...

I’m a candidate for the Oakland Schools District #1 School Board Seat because I think student performance ought to be the prime concern for board members, teachers, administrators and support staff. If elected, I will fight for Increased Parental Involvement and Educational Trai...

Our high schools are the weakest point. We must make substantial head- way in both academics and school safety. We need joint programs with local employers in skills training incentives for parent participation. We should work more closely with local colle...

We in District 1 have seen schools successfully turned around, and have seen how important it is to have strong administrators, creative teachers, and involved parents working together. Those who are closest to the classroom must have a voice in deciding what will go on the...

schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. The funds we raise are critical for helping to maintain high-quality programs that support and encourage students all over our city. We are making excellent progress in recruiting riders: we expec...