Welcome back to a new school year! Pardon the lack of information on the website — we are in the process of redesigning the OEA website — watch for a new and greatly improved version on September 13th! Same address: oaklandea.org.

In the meantime,continue to keep those calls coming in to the OEA office about class size, longer work days, etc. Huge appreciations to the Site Reps who have already written to their Administrators informing them of what our collective bargaining agreement says about the length of our work day (see Article 10.2.1). See your Rep for copies of "Know Your Contract" in case your principal needs some reminders.

Class sizes are on the increase around the district. Remember there is a "beginning grace period" of 10 days for elementary schools, 15 for secondary (Article 15.2). The bad news is that under imposition, class sizes in K-5 can go to the limits outlined in the contract: 27 in K, 30 in grades 1-3, and 31 in grades 4-5. The only exception is in QEIA schools.) This is an excellent opportunity for talking to and organizing parents — already in my visits to school sites I’ve talked to parents who are shocked at the large class sizes.

ECE UPdate: Thanks to the efforts of parents, teachers, students and community members working with Oakland Parents Together and OEA, On Friday, August 27, the district found $2.4 million to keep 5 of 7 Child Development Centers slated for closure open through December. With state cuts to pre-school education, it is vitally important for all of us to continue to advocate for our youngest and most vulnerable students.

I’m sure most, if not all, teachers would agree that it’s NOT poring over test score data and starting the inevitable test prep routine. I’m fairly certain that most, if not all, teachers would agree that in the first few weeks of school, the emphasis should instead be on establishing a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment where students are engaged and enthusiastic about what they’re learning. 

Hopefully the days are behind us when we were told that instruction should begin promptly at 8:31am, and that there was no time to "waste" on classroom meetings and building social skills. With all the talk about what makes an "effective teacher," let’s change the conversation and start asking what makes an "effective" administrator? An "effective" parent? An "effective" student? The new website will have blogging capabilities so we can get your opinions on these and other issues.

Thought for the days ahead: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." (William Butler Yeats)