Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1533049
those communities being devastated and watching our families leave the district. is time around, when the district sang the same song, everybody knew what beat it was, which made it possible to counteract the district's message because we already heard it." Jackson says OUSD has a history of understating its financial health, starting every school year projecting a massive deficit and then somehow ending the year with a surplus. This lack of transparency and history of misdirecting resources — OUSD spends more on consultants and middle management than com- parable school districts — has OEA educators challenging the district's bloated budgeting. " When they say they have a $95-million deficit, we're very skeptical," says Jackson, noting that the district budgets substan- tial amounts for textbooks and materials annually, yet seems to never have new materials. "I was in college when my science textbooks were created. My books are older than my students, but the district says it spends millions on books every year." Moving for ward , Jack son says O E A will continu e to b e engaged in the community process to center students and c o m m u n i ty, li f t e d u c a t o r v o i c e s a n d f i g h t u n n e c e ss a r y school closures. This in addition to OE A's participation in CTA's We Can't Wait campaign along with other CTA locals throughout California. "Our priority is to make sure we have fully staffed schools that are safe for our kids, that our school sites are fully funded and our budget process is transparent," Jackson says. IMPERIAL BEACH: Educators opposing unnecessary closures "Our district isn't in a deficit, but our superintendent is planning ahead," says Southwest Teachers Association (SWTA) President Vanessa Barrera, about South Bay Union School District. "He's saying 'we don't want to be like Oakland, which has to close schools because they don't have any money.'" SWTA members, who organized late last school year and were able to delay a school closure decision that had been developed with very little public input, are leading efforts to advocate for students and stop the closures as the superintendent tries yet again. Unlike the other districts, South Bay Union is trying to pre-emptively close one to three schools, which Barrera says would upend local communities and potentially exacerbate declining enrollment issues. Barrera is speaking out against the closures and visiting school sites (using a CTA President's Release Time Grant) to keep members informed about the situation and poten- tial impacts. Oakland Unified officials claimed their school closures were "mergers," but educators and community members saw through the district's spin. Despite regular attempts to close schools in Oakland to solve budget problems, Oakland Education Association leaders say the closures haven't saved any money. 30 cta.org Feature