Rachel is a Parent Committed to the Promise of Oakland Public Schools

Fight for equity and academic excellence for every student in every school. That means creating strong public schools, and holding charter schools accountable for serving all students.

OUSD needs to attract and retain students - this is how we make the district sustainable. Rachel will promote increased enrollment in an equitable way while making the structural changes needed to help our schools grow and thrive. Rachel will also hold charter schools accountable for serving all students well, including disabled students, foster youth, unhoused students and English learners.

Ensure sound fiscal practices while making OUSD’s budget more equitable.

Oakland is a city committed to equity, however OUSD has often fallen short of staying focused on this principle.  Past mistakes include inequitable allocations of resources that have hurt school performance and triggered a downward spiral of enrollment, and loose oversight of spending habits, creating unanticipated deficits. Rachel will be a watchdog over our budget and a champion for equity in our schools.

Work to recruit and retain the best teachers and staff.

Teachers and all staff who work directly with our students should be well-paid and feel supported by the district to bring stability to the classroom and ensure a more enriching education for students. Rachel will engage in  ongoing, open dialogue with all union partners to ensure that we build trust and communication before bargaining to make negotiations successful.  Employee retention is key to student success, which means strong union contracts are good policy.

Improve community engagement with parents and other community members.

OUSD is a community school district, but often the community is left out of important decisions.  Rachel will work to make sure that OUSD decisions are more transparent and vetted by the public, with ample time before important decisions for the community to review and propose improvements to plans. As a board member, Rachel will create space for community engagement outside of board meetings by taking the discussions out to the community, with regular office hours, school site listening sessions and direct outreach  to families.  

Push back against school closures that have devastated our most marginalized students

In recent years, the Board has closed neighborhood schools without sufficient family input, without examining the impact of the closures on targeted communities and without reaping the economic savings that were promised. Rachel will be a parent advocate as these life-altering decisions are considered to ensure that any school changes are equitable, community centered, fiscally sound and that students, families and staff are supported before, during and into the future.