Teachers union continues to sabotage Oakland schools
Zachary Faria
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The arrogance and entitlement of teachers unions are pushing more and more parents to the brink, even in the liberal cities where teachers unions have been allowed to destroy children’s education.
Oakland is proposing to put its teachers above the average pay in the region which, of course, isn’t good enough for Oakland’s teachers union. The Oakland Education Association is calling for a strike, saying the district isn’t negotiating “in good faith,” which could lead to a strike before the end of the school year. The union is also demanding smaller class sizes and “racially-just” schools, in case it isn’t clear how unserious it is.
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Oakland parents launched a petition opposing any teacher strike. The petition says that “we are pushing hard on our Oakland community … to stand up for zero disruption of our students’ learning,” and that “all of our students are recovering right now, and only 3 out of 10 can read or do math on grade level.”
Oakland’s reading scores for students tanked when teachers decided that the effective curriculum was too boring and not fulfilling enough.
The reality is that Oakland’s school system is failing and has been for decades. The Oakland Unified School District has lost 15,000 students in enrollment over the last 20 years, leading the district to shut down several schools. The district is on the verge of insolvency over the cratering enrollment, and yet the teachers union complains that above-average pay for teachers isn’t good enough.
Parents know the effects on their children of yet another strike are something they cannot afford. In the district in 2022, 64% of students failed to meet state English standards, and 74% failed to meet the math standards. That was worst among lower-income students (75% below English standards, 84% below math), black students (80% below English standards, 89% below math), and Hispanics (75% below English standards, 85% below math).
How is that for your “racially-just” schools?
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We already know that school closures during the pandemic hurt poor and minority students the worst, which is what Oakland teachers would be doing by jumping into another strike. But the teachers union’s priorities of teacher salaries above all, including the year-in, year-out failures of the school district to educate its students, speak volumes. They do not have the best interest of students in mind, and parents are noticing.
Oakland’s school district is about to go broke and can’t even get 40% of students to reach state English standards, and yet the teachers union’s priority is more money for teachers, which means more money being funneled to the union. This is how Oakland’s schools have been stuck in a loop of failure for years. It will take parents more than just a petition to change that, but it’s a promising start.