Oakland's Underfunded Public Schools

Currently, many Oakland schools have a lack of school funding and cannot afford to purchase quality resources for their students. Schools are unable to find the funds for newer, better resources, so they never replace their old textbooks. For example, in one of the largest public high schools around Oakland, Oakland Technical High School, some government textbooks do not even contain Barack Obama as the 44th president. More specifically, the president list only goes up the the 43rd president. This shows just how underfunded Oakland schools are and its inability to fund new resources. In fact, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Unified School District still has about 35 million dollars of debt to pay.

The Significance

Underfunded schools are a problem because with old resources, students will find learning harder, and as a result perform worse on both school and state tests. In addition, underfunded schools often cannot afford to keep good teachers, and must opt for less-educated instructors that take less pay. Moreover, according to Cory Turner, a writer for the National Public Radio, schools that are suffering from inadequate funding are being forced to cut costs from all areas of school funding to scrape up more money. Over time, these problems created by underfunded schools create a poorly-educated future generation that is unprepared for college.

Who does this problem affect?

This problem affects all students who go to public schools in poor Oakland communities, since poorer communities generate less revenue for schools. Bruce Baker, a graduate of Rutgers University, explains that city communities are split into rich and poor districts. The rich districts generate adequate funding for their schools, while the poor districts are unable to create much funding for their schools. In other words, the problem of underfunded schools affects mainly students that live in poorer communities. This problem has been prevalent in Oakland since the late 1900s, ever since property tax rules and state laws have been reformed.

Where does this problem come from?

The main two factors that lead to underfunded public schools in Oakland are Proposition 13 and charter schools. Proposition 13 forces cities inside California, like Oakland, to be able to only increase the value of a home by a maximum of 1-2 percent each year. This is a problem because schools get 40 percent of their funding from property taxes. If the value of a home remained relatively at the same value as it was in 1978, these homes in Oakland would be generating a LOT less property revenue than it should. This in turn hurts schools because they get a smaller cut from homes. 

The other problem is charter schools. States give public schools funding based on student attendance. Charter schools are a problem here because they are designed specifically to produce better results than public schools and draw communities towards their institutions. If charter schools boast their achievements, students from public schools will transfer to charter schools. This decreases the public school attendance total, which contributes to the underfunding of public schools.

What are we trying to solve?

We are trying to encourage lawmakers at the California State Capitol to give vocal support through news reports, interviews, and campaigns to discontinue Proposition 13 after 2020, which is when it comes back for reconsideration. Since the people voted on Proposition 13, only the people can discontinue it. By sending a petition to our state representatives, we can convince them to publicly tell the people NOT to continue Proposition 13. This can swing the tides in the schools' favor, and put a strong halt to the problem of underfunded Oakland schools.

Why should you sign our petition?

The only way change will ever come to our public schools is through direct appeal to those that make important decisions. For example, Buffy Wicks, Nancy Skinner, and Gavin Newsom, our state representatives and governor. Moreover, leaders need reason to make change; the only way we can show our state representatives this is through a petition. By signing our petition, you are working towards a better future in Oakland not just for the next generation, but those ahead of them. Make a change today.