Twenty-three area faith leaders delivered a plea Monday to the Oakland Unified School District asking it to look at how its school closure plan will impact Black and Hispanic students.
A few of those leaders as well as City Councilman Noel Gallo met at 11 a.m. outside the school district's headquarters at 1000 Broadway in Oakland to speak to reporters about their plea.
The faith leaders also want the district to look at how budget decisions affect Black and Hispanic students. Any budget recommendations must provide equitable outcomes, they said.
The faith leaders asked the school district to pause its closure/merger/consolidation plan until the two equity analyses are complete.
Seven schools are slated for closure before the 2023-24 school year, while two schools will be truncated to grades K-5 from K-8 and two schools will merge under the school board decision.
