Change in OUSD experience since before pandemic?

Our kid attended 2 OUSD schools. One that was in our neighborhood before we moved. School 1 was a low ranked school but across the street from our house, so we gave it a try. When we moved, we changed to another OUSD school (School 2) which is a top ranked school and our new neighborhood school. In 2021, we changed to a private school -- a huge financial sacrifice for us, but it was absolutely necessary for our family's mental health and we are immensely happy with the change. 

School 1 -- a sweet school but scrappy. Teachers and staff were dedicated and helpful and there were nice families and kids, but school was poor. PTA worked hard but raised little money. One year they raise $9,000. Next year was better with $25k. Many families we met were wonderful but definitely not 6 figure salaried folks. On-site aftercare was unacceptable, although it's really affordable. I'm sorry for people who need to rely on it.  We probably would not have stayed at school 1, if we didn't move, but we are glad to have given it a try and decide for ourselves instead of turning up our nose at it. Our child had positive experience at this school, because the teacher was amazing. We are happy to have made a small difference in this school while we were there by making donations and buying school supplies and books that the teacher requested. 

School 2 --  The community is diverse, warm and supportive. PTA works incredibly hard and raises a lot of money -- a respectable 6 figure amount unlike school 1. But, the school still felt scrappy. Not as strapped as school 1 but school 2 did not have and could not offer everything it needed to students. We got sick of my kid complaining that there weren't enough balls and hula hoops for kids, so we bought them for the school. School was grateful but shared that only several hundred dollars were available for all teachers' requests for extra supplies, so balls and hoops were not on the budget for years. This was before Covid. The on-site care option was better but extremely limited. We got selected in the lottery and were lucky to get a spot. Our child hated school. She was bored and suffered from lack of attention from teachers. Classes are large and the teacher naturally pays more attention to kids that don't meet the grade level proficiency. The quality of teachers is excellent, but they are only human. During Covid / online school, our child learned nothing from school. When in-person instruction resumed, the teacher told us she knew our kid was bored and advanced, but she would not allow our child to work ahead on the materials. Many families are happy at school 2, so I think it's worth giving OUSD a try. It's ok to change school after 1 - 2 years in OUSD, if you're not happy. I'd say day to day experience has stayed the same, because OUSD has always been cash strapped. Covid actually brought in $$$ to schools, so I think OUSD is better resourced at the moment.

Our child loves her private school now.  School 2's principal had their kids in private school. I was surprised to meet so many parents who work for OUSD at our private school, but I get it. The school experience is better. I doubted whether private school was really $30k better. The joy we see in our child and my mental health are priceless. 

A lot of this is going to depend on what your neighborhood school is. If it has a low rating and students are not progressing it definitely could be closed. A lot of the schools that were are on the chopping block had had low scores for decades. I would look at the PTA and what money they raise because that will also give you a sense of parent involvement. Also, remember kids are much more flexible than adults. If it doesn't work out you can always go to private. Its a lot harder to go from private to public. 

The difference in OUSD due to the pandemic is that we can now all log in to school board meetings over Zoom and see why the district is in such terrible straits: it's because the leadership at the Board level is abysmal. The recent school closures were heartless and enacted with no forethought. After 8 years at our neighborhood OUSD school, our school is being closed by the District with no transition plan. OUSD is perpetually in crisis mode, which makes it impossible to implement strategic plans. If you have an OUSD school picked out, go ahead and give it a try, but you should have a backup plan too.

The more parents leave OUSD, the more it suffers and we leave non-privileged children behind. That exacerbates crime and all of the other social issues people rightfully complain about. We need to support OUSD by sending our children to the schools and working together as a community to improve it for all children. 

Don’t even consider OUSD. My son was in Kindergarten 2019-2020, distance learning 3/20-3/21, in person 8/21-11/21. I pulled him out 11/1/21 to homeschool him. He has special needs and is more advanced than his grade level so public school in general can’t support/supplement his needs. OUSD lacks so much in terms of resources, support, supplies, etc. I can’t afford $30-50k for private school which would be awesome for my son, but if you can do it I would. I ended up enrolling him in a public charter school that supports homeschoolers. The first day he was enrolled his teacher dropped off workbooks for each subject to my home. The school currently gives every child $900 a semester for classes-academic and extracurriculars, supplies, field trips, etc. My son’s OUSD school was a top school in the hills and they never even had workbooks for any year he was there. The only thing my son learned at OUSD was which  pronoun to identify with which was something he already knew and didn’t need to be taught. OUSD teachers often teach their own agenda versus core skills. Unfortunately, parents are not allowed to see the curriculum their teacher is teaching at least at my son’s school. Bottom line is public school education at least in Oakland is not at all what it should be and the ones that suffer are the kids. Politics, bureaucracy, and teacher personal agendas are what’s important in OUSD and sadly many people have to rely on them because they can’t afford private school, extracurriculars, or to homeschool. The kids deserve better. I would do private school, homeschool, or move to a city that has the resources to teach your kid at the very least core skills.

We are super happy at our ousd school. What I have learned is that ousd is full of amazing schools with fabulous teachers and principals who care deeply about the kids. It’s amazing they stick around with the disaster that happens on the district level but they manage to shield our kids from that. Don’t be afraid of ousd schools because the school board is so dysfunctional. Many of the schools are doing great