Parents and Teachers Demand Emergency Delay of Oakland School Closures

OAKLAND (KPIX) -- A group of parents, teachers and former school board members is demanding that the Oakland Unified School District delay a decision to shutter dozens of schools to close the district's $30 million budget gap.

The group, calling itself "Justice for Oakland Schools," hand-delivered letters to three state assembly members, Rob Bonta, Nancy Skinner and Buffy Wicks, urging them to put pressure on state officials to halt the closures.

"We want them to use their state influence to ask the superintendent of schools, Tony Thurmond, to ask the school district to hold off on making any emergency decision on closing any schools," said Paul Cobb, a member of the group and a former Oakland school board member.

The letter said the state is "largely responsible for the financial and educational issues facing Oakland."

The group is demanding an audit of a $100 million loan issued when the state took over the district in 2003.

Cobb said they hope to meet with Thurmond and Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of the district's January 28 vote on whether to close Roots International Academy Middle School.

Adelida Rios, the mother of a 7th grader at Roots Academy, said she believes school board members plan to ignore the wishes of teachers, parents and students and close the school. But she said she is prepared to keep fighting.

"We have only three days and we're gonna work hard this three days to make sure that either they delay the vote or they don't decide to close the school," she said.

KPIX 5 reached out to the offices of Bonta, Skinner and Wicks, which had no comment.