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Elections Information

GO is committed to helping to ensure that Oaklanders are "education voters." On November 6th, 2012, four school board seats will be up for election, providing an opportunity for Oakland voters to elect board members who are aligned with the needs of Oakland students and who are willing to make tough decisions on behalf of Oakland kids.

Education Voter Handout

District 1 - Amy Lemley Questionnaire

D1-Amy Lemley.pdf

District 1 - Donald Macleay Questionnaire

D1-Donald Macleay.pdf

District 1 - Richard Raya Questionnaire

D1-Richard Raya.pdf

District 3 - Lynette Gibson-McElhaney Questionnaire

D3-Lynette Gibson-McElhaney.pdf

District 3 - Alex Miller-Cole Questionnaire

D3-Alex Miler-Cole.pdf

District 3 - Larry Lionel Young, Jr.

D3-Larry Lionel Young Jr.pdf

District 7 - Sheryl Walton Questionnaire

D7-Sheryl Walton.pdf

District 7 - Beverly Williams Questionnaire

D7-Beverly Williams.pdf

At large - Carol Lee Tolbert Questionnaire

AL-Carol Lee Tolbert.pdf

District 5 - Noel Gallo Questionnaire

D5-Noel Gallo.pdf

November 2010 Elections Wrap Up: What do election results mean for Oakland Public Schools?

From local government to Capitol Hill, new leaders elected on November 2, 2010 could influence improvement for Oakland's students. What do these leaders have planned for our schools?

Mayor Elect Jean Quan, a former school board member, plans to strengthen volunteer recruitment, programs for disconnected youth, and primary school literacy rates.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is emphasizing school funding, neighborhood schools, charter school accountability, wraparound services and 21st Century schools.

California's Governor Jerry Brown brings a long and deep history with public schools and higher education. He plans to reform education funding, testing, teacher recruitment and training, increase local control, improve curriculum, and emphasize technology. He will have to grapple with a budget crisis and restrictive voter mandates.

Republicans regaining control of the US Congress means the No Child Left Behind (ESEA) re-authorization could be shelved, rewritten to emphasize reforms, or reworked to diminish the role of the federal government. The Race to the Top grant competition, funded with stimulus dollars, will play some role in future political deal-making.

Looking Forward: November 2012 Elections

Local elected leaders can improve the quality of our public schools. In November 2012, Oakland will elect four school board members and four City Council members in districts 1, 3, 5, and 7. To locate these districts click here.

District	Neighborhood	School Board Incumbent (year elected)	City Council Incumbent (year elected)
1	North Oakland	Jody London (2008)	Jane Brunner (1996)
3	Downtown - West Oakland	Jumoke Hinton Hodge (2008)	Nancy Nadel (1996)
5	Fruitvale - Glenview	Noel Gallo (1992)	Ignacio De La Fuente (1992)
7	East Oakland	Alice Spearman (2004)	Larry Reid (1996)

To learn more, read All About the Oakland School Board and check out interviews with School Board Directors Jody London (District 1), David Kakishiba (District 2) and Gary Yee (District 4).

Run for Oakland School Board 2012!

Oakland's School Board elections are often uncontested races. We need more dedicated Oaklanders to step up for Oakland students!

Why run for school board?

Are you committed to advocating for the best possible public education for students in Oakland? Are you willing to spend time and energy to improve public education in Oakland? The school board needs more individuals like you!
Our school board is democracy in action. The school board impacts how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent for Oakland's 45,000 public school students.
Directors make critical decisions about teaching, school facilities, parents, teachers, college and career readiness, budgeting, health, safety and more.

What is the job description?

The Board's primary responsibility is to ensure that every student served by the District is well educated and demonstrates high academic achievement (from the OUSD web site).
The Board meets publicly twice a month in the evening and Directors also sit on Board committees, each of which meets about twice a month.
Board members are expected to engage with the schools, parents and students in their districts.
The current compensation for Directors is $787.50 per month.
OUSD pays for board members may participate in the health and welfare benefits program provided for district employees.
Elected candidates will take office January 2013.

Who can run?

To run for school board, you must be a citizen of the United States, eligible to vote, a resident of Oakland for at least 30 days, and a resident of the district from which you are a candidate for at least 30 days immediately preceding the nomination. A district employee elected to the Board must resign or be terminated before being sworn into office.

More resources and information on running for school board

Your Vote Matters

Please make sure you are registered to vote, you may also sign up for vote-by-mail.

For more information please contact Ratna Amin, Policy Director.

GO's 2010 Elections Work

2010 Candidate Questionnaires - GO Public Schools asked all November 2010 candidates for Mayor, City Council and School Board about their vision for our public schools. You can read their answers to questions, at www.gopublicschools.org.
The 2010 Vote for Oakland: Video Education Voter Guide - GO Public Schools interviewed November 2010 candidates for Mayor and School Board and made all videos available to you, check it out at www.gopublicschools.org.
Visit the Measure L Parcel Tax page at www.gopublicschools.org to learn about this important ballot measure to recruit and retain effective teachers for all Oakland students!
2010 Elections: Oakland's Big Opportunity
What will our School Board, City Council and Mayoral candidates do for Oakland's public schools? Here are suggested Questions for Candidates you can use to go deeper
To learn more about what the Oakland School Board does, please read All About the Oakland School Board
Voting for State Superintendent of Public Instruction

For more information please contact Ratna Amin, Policy Director.

What You Can Do Right Now

Volunteer for this Issue Group and represent your school community in the GO network. Take Action »

Posts On Elections Information

Who is Running for Oakland School Board This November?

District 2 - David Kakishiba (running unopposed)David Kakishiba (incumbent) is the Executive Director of the East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) and is also a life- long living advocate for students. He was one of the founders of several youth... More >