Urgent Action: Stop the Closure of East Oakland Community High School

PLEASE FORWARD AND TAKE ACTION!
MARCH AND RALLY IS FEBRUARY 28TH; E-MAIL OR CALL NOW!

Dear Friends,

I ask for your urgent support to take action to stop the closure
of East Oakland Community High School (EOC), as part of our work to
implement our four point plan to stop pushouts. It is an absolute
tragedy that our un-elected State Adminstrator is trying to shut
down this inovative community school as part of a nationwide trend
to shut down and privatize public schools. It is through a mass
movement that we can stop this type of policy and return Oakland
schools to local, democratic control. Details on how to take action
follow.

EOC is important to us because Education Not Incarceration
(ENI) is building a partnership with the National Education
Association's 3.2 million members to stop students from being
pushed out of school and into prisons. EOC represents our four
point program to stop pushouts in real world terms.
1. EOC emphasizes support of positive behavior, rather than punative
actions such as expulsion and suspension.
2. EOC provides a strong, culturally aware staff, and curriculum
that empowers youth by relating learning to their lives.
3. EOC supports the growth of the whole child by involving
the entire community in the education of each student.
4. EOC prepares students for higher education or living wage jobs
by carefully connecting students to opportunities based on their
individual passions.

EOC is not only about preparing students to pass a test, it is about
teaching students to be positive, caring, successful members
of our community.

Please become a decision-maker and contact politicians listed at
the end of EOC's letter below, and join EOC on a march and rally
to save thid school on Wednesday, February 28 (details below).
Letters to the Oakland Tribune can also be sent to
triblet [at] angnewspapers.com,

Sincerely,
Nuri Ronaghy
Executive Director
Education Not Incarceration
**********************************************************
Friends of EOC,

We hope that you can march with us on Wednesday.
The students and parents are organizing to win this fight.
From our hearts, thank you for your support and solidarity.

Village United / Pueblo Unido
Families & Supporters of EOCHS

--> http://villageunido.org

* * * * *

Dear Family & Allies of East Oakland Community HS,

On Thursday night, February 22nd, OUSD State Administrators
announced what we feared they had come to do in October --
that they would shut down this light, this place of hope for
young people in East Oakland. That they do not believe we have
the capacity to succeed as a community. That they will try
to break apart this beautiful family that has grown so strong
in the past few years. That they would dismiss all of the
heart-felt student and parent testimonies over the past four
months, stories that demonstrated how EOC saved lives, kept
youth out of jail and on a positive path, and brought students
from failing grades to the honor roll.

At the meeting with hundreds of students and parents, Chief of
Community Accountability Kirsten Vitale and High School
Network Executive Officer Wendy Gudalewicz recommended closure
in June, despite our out-performance of East Oakland schools in
our first year and our status as a new school only 2.5 years old.
It is clear that they are not working in the genuine interest
of our families. This is an attack on innovative small schools
for East Oakland communities, and it sets a dangerous precedent
for a constant cycle of opening and shutting down promising
new schools before they have had the time and support to succeed
students who have been failed by the public school system for years.

As you may have seen, the meeting was covered by KTVU
Channel 2 News, KRON Channel 4 News, Univision Channel 14,
and the Oakland Tribune. They showed the truth of District 7
School Board member Alice Spearman physically attacking one
of our Humanities teachers, and being escorted out by police.
At the meeting, Wendy Gudalewicz and Kirsten Vitale presented
a series of lies and smear tactics, but our parents, students,
and community supporters took the meeting over and told the
truth about what is really happening -- that the district
is failing our young people, and that this "portfolio
management" process has been corrupt and dishonest from
the beginning.

The time has come to take to the streets.

We are marching to the School Board meeting on Wednesday,
February 28th, where State Administrators will present their
recommendations to School Board members, and where we will
have a chance to speak out and urge State Administrator
Kimberly Statham to give us the time and support to become
a great school. Will you march with us? Join us at
2pm at EOC for a press conference (8251 Fontaine Street),
or at the School Board meeting from 5-8pm (1025 2nd Avenue).
As students, parents, educators, and community members
marching together, we will bring a strong message
demanding quality education for ALL students through
the city of Oakland.

This decision is not final, and we believe that with
overwhelming public support we can win this fight. We
already have the support of the majority of the School
Board, and representatives from Mayor Dellums' office
will be coming to visit the school next week. School
Board Director Noel Gallo is working on a board resolution
to give EOC more time and the support from the district
that it deserves to continue our work. As a community,
we must pressure the State Administrator into doing
the right thing.

Before Wednesday, please contact the following
officials to express your support for EOCHS, and
your disappointment in Vitale & Gudalewicz's
recommendation for closure that would shut
down a shining light for youth in East Oakland:
* Mayor Ron Dellums' Office: (510) 238-3141
* State Administrator Kim Statham: (510) 879-8100;
Kimberly.Statham [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* Chief of Community Accountability: Kirsten.Vital [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* High School Network Executive Officer:
Wendy.Gudalewicz [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 1: Kerry.Hamill [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 2: David.Kakishiba [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 3: Gregory.Hodge [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 4: Gary.Yee [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 5: Noel.Gallo [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board - District 6: Christopher.Dobbins [at] ousd.k12 .ca.us
* School Board - District 7: Alice.Spearman [at] ousd.k12.ca.us
* School Board Student Representative: Christina.Jiang [at] ousd.k12.ca.us

Please also copy us at villageunido [at] gmail.com, and e-mail
us with your thoughts, ideas, and any words of wisdom or
support that we can pass on to the students, teachers, and
parents here at East Oakland Community High.

We thank you for standing by us in this struggle.
And we will see you in the streets on Wednesday!

With Love & Faith,
Village United / Pueblo Unido
Families & Supporters of EOCHS
"It takes a village!"

For Updates / Media Clips & Coverage: http://villageunido.org
For More Info on EOC: http://myspace.com/eastoaklandpanthers
To get in touch with us: villageunido [at] gmail.com