The administrator appointed to run Oakland's schools when the state took over the district has called for the closure of five more schools. The proposal by state administrator Randy Ward comes three months after the district shut five other elementary schools. Hundreds of people went to the chaotic Oakland State Administrator and Board of Education Meeting on December 15th to protest school closures, which they think could lead to increased desperation that would inspire more youth to join the military in order to "get an education." Administrator Randy Ward waited until most of the audience had walked out in disgust before he revealed his plans for the privatization of Oakland schools. Photos and Report

Ward has called for the closure or restructuring of more than a quarter of the district's 94 schools, primarily in lower-income neighborhoods. Schools at the top of the closure list include Lowell (West Oakland), Carter (Temescal), and King Estates (Oak Knoll) middle schools, and Washington (North Oakland) and Golden Gate (West Oakland) elementary schools. Seven other district schools may be reorganized, and, in what teachers call a "union-busting" move, twelve converted to charter schools, "due to the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act," which regulates schools that have needed improvement in test scores for five years in a row. Most hills schools will not be affected by Ward's latest plans "due to high test scores and generally strong enrollment." Download the Plan