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Parents, Guardians, Educators and All who

Support Students with Special Needs

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Action Alert! OUSD Board to Hear Update on Community Engagement Process for Special Education Department Budget and Reorganization on October 10th

In June 2012, the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education directed Superintendent Tony Smith and staff to delay program changes and budget cuts to the special education program until a full community engagement process had occurred. The day after that board meeting the CAC received assurances from OUSD Leadership that the engagement process would begin in August in partnership with the CAC and also that OUSD would begin the hiring process to ensure proposed increases in resource specialist caseloads and SDC class sizes would not occur. OUSD Leadership did not keep their commitment to the Board, to the CAC or to the community. The year began with staffing shortages, increased SDC class sizes and larger caseloads for resource specialists all over the District. At the same time, OUSD has made almost every staffing change and new hire originally proposed in the reorganization plan – without any community engagement and against board directive. As a result, our children’s needs are not being met.

The CAC has been advocating since June for a meaningful and accessible community engagement process. We worked with the community to develop a list of potential stakeholders that we shared with OUSD’s Community Engagement Office and Karen Mates, the new Director of Programs for Exceptional Children. We are surveying community members to help OUSD find the best ways to reach and engage our different stakeholder groups and we have tried to share your preferences with OUSD. But we’re still waiting for the engagement process to begin more importantly for the special education program stability that our children need.

We need YOU, our special education/special needs community, to come to the October 10^th school board meeting to speak up about the state of special education and the need for meaningful and accessible community engagement process that includes all those who live and work with our students:

5:00 PM on Wednesday, October 10 2012

1025 Second Ave., Oakland CA 94606

Can’t be there at 5pm? Ask someone to fill out a Speaker Card for you so you have a chance to speak.

Can’t make the meeting? E-Comment from the OUSD Board page here before the meeting starts.

Missed the Last CAC Meeting? Take our Engagement Survey!

We’ve known for years that special needs families and students have unique needs when it comes to engagement and participation. We want to help OUSD to understand these unique needs and to make sure that ALL members of our community are able to be part of any community engagement process. We asked folks to take our survey at the last CAC meeting and if you missed that chance it’s not too late. Download our survey from this website. The survey title is: CAC Survey re Engagement Process--10.1.12.

Topics for Fall, 2012

October 1, 2012        

     Community Forum: The CAC & our Vision for a a Quality Special Education Program in OUSD's Department of School, Family, and Community Partnerships
     6:30–8:30pm, Westlake Middle School, 2629 Harrison St., 94612, Region 1

November 5, 2012

A Focus on Autism & Related Programs and Services in OUSD Inclusion Programs in OUSD: Defining the Conditions for the Successful Inclusion of Students with Disabilities
6:30-8:30pm, Howard Elementary School, 8755 Fontaine Street, 94605, Region 3

December 3, 2012

Students with Special Needs in OUSD’s Strategic Plan: How OUSD Plans to Support the Unique Needs of Children with Dis/Abilities, Ensure their Access to Resources, and Improve their Academic Outcomes
6:30-8:30pm, Grass Valley Elementary School, 4720 Dunkirk Avenue, 94605, Region 3

Fall Topics Flyer -- English, Espanol

What is the Oakland Community Advisory Committee?

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is a state mandated consortium of parents, teachers, administrators and community members who advocate on behalf of students receiving Special Education services in our Special Education Local Plan Area.  

Under California Ed Code, the community advisory committee “shall have the authority and fulfill the responsibilities that are defined for it in the local plan. The responsibilities shall include, but need not be limited to, all the following:  (a) Advising the policy and administrative entity of the special education local plan area regarding the development, amendment, and review of the local plan. The entity shall review and consider comments from the community advisory committee; (b) Recommending annual priorities to be addressed by the plan; (c) Assisting in parent education and in recruiting parents and other volunteers who may contribute to the implementation of the plan; (d) Encouraging community involvement in the development and review of the local plan; (e) Supporting activities on behalf of individuals with exceptional needs; (f) Assisting in parent awareness of the importance of regular school attendance.”