The Oakland Unified School District board greenlit additional leases and classroom space to four charter schools last week.
California’s Prop 39 requires the district to share public school facilities with all enrolled students, including charter school attendees upon request. Charter schools are independent state-funded public schools, managed by outside boards and organizations.
Oakland Unified currently has 16 active leases with area charter schools – many on the former campuses of shuttered public schools. Two of the new leases will take over the vacant campuses of elementary schools closed by the district a decade ago. Other deals offer co-location, sharing classroom space and facilities at active school sites.
The new charter school agreements come just one month after Oakland announced the closure of seven public schools in the next year. Critics say accommodating new charter students could strain schools already planning to welcome displaced students next fall.
