Maxwell Park Neighborhood Newsby Bryan Farley |
On Wednesday October 26, Board of Education of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) approved the recommendation to close five district elementary schools. One of the schools, Maxwell Park Elementary (Maxwell Park International Academy), is a neighborhood school with 25 classrooms and programs that serve at least 30 other OUSD schools. The school closure has created uncertainty for students, teachers, families, and neighbors throughout Oakland. |
Although the decision to close Maxwell Park Elementary School appears final, some people are searching for a different conclusion. “I am hoping that a miracle happens,” said thirty-two-year OUSD veteran Phyllis McFee-Morton. Ms. McFee-Morton has worked at Maxwell Park the last two years. She wonders what will happen to the Maxwell Park Elementary students as well as those who arrive from 30 other OUSD schools for the comprehensive reading program. Perhaps actions of the Oakland Branch of the NAACP provides some hope. Last month, concerned parents at Maxwell Park Elementary invited Vice President Cheryl Moore to speak at a community meeting at the school. The NAACP has questioned the methodology used to close the five local schools, arguing that the District has not followed California Education Code procedures. Whether the NAACP’s intervention will help keep the school open or provide better options for students to move schools has yet to be seen. Once the building is no longer used as a school, what then? Superintendent Tony Smith has not recommended what will happen to the Maxwell Park Elementary site next year. School Board Member Gary Yee has represented Maxwell Park since he was first elected nine years ago, and his wife’s family lives near the school. Whatever happens to the school, Yee said, “We will restore Maxwell Park as a community asset.” Find out more about Bryan Farley at his blog, www.bryanfarleyblog.com. |
