London estimates her critics will need 9,000 signatures to put recall vote on the November 2020 ballot.Ī similar effort against five of seven board members several years ago failed, she noted. "People are saying 'Jody, you guys are on the right track, I know this is hard, but I support you.' I have been getting emails and text messages and hearing from a lot of people." London said she believes most Oakland parents support the board's tough choices, and support her. Oakland has 36,000 students spread among 83 schools. Fremont, by comparison has almost the same student population, occupying 42 schools.
Staff projections show $15 million will have be cut in the year 2020-21, with costs rising, and revenues flat. The school district has been roiled by months of discontent after closing one school this year, and identifying 13 others for possible closure, consolidation, or reconfiguration. "It doesn't feel great, but I'm a public servant," she responded. "My job is to make sure students receive the education they deserve," she told KTVU. London has served three years on the board and her current term ends in January 2021. "What we're doing with the recall election is sending a message to the entire board that the people of Oakland are not for sale." "She had the police force beat us down and so she does need to be held responsible," said Jayaraman. She and others intend to sue, claiming excessive force and inuries, and blaming London. Jayaraman is spearheading the recall with other parents who scuffled with school district police at an October board meeting. Putting the vote to North Oakland voters will require thousands more signatures. London, in particular, is a target of critics, who say they don't trust the judgment or transparency of the seven-member board. London has already been served with an intent to recall - a petition with 50 signers. Their empty chairs were immediately filled by children, shouting "no school closures" into the board microphones. "There are other members of the public who would like to be part of this meeting," Interim Board President Jody London admonished the group. The board paused for more than 30 minutes, then moved the meeting to an upstairs committee room, with two-way conferencing to the auditorium they abandoned. The school board members were discussing limiting the speaking times of parents’ comments during the meeting and apparently did not realize until near the meeting’s end that it was being seen publicly.Īt that point, cameras and mics for the call were turned off.Jayaraman led a few dozen people in song and chants, halting the meeting early in the agenda. “Bitch, if you’re going to call me out, I’m going to f- you up,” another school member said toward the parents. The Zoom call with the San Francisco-area school board included a number of other offensive comments. Many students have been out of school for almost a year as they were sent to online learning last March. Other school board members are also being called to resign over their remarks.Ī petition calling for members to be recalled or resign has gained more than 5,000 signatures.įrustration over school closings and remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic has been building and building, and appeared to blow up during the call and in its aftermath. “It’s really unfortunate that they want to pick on us because they want their babysitters back,” Lisa Brizendine, Oakley Union Elementary School Board president, said on the Zoom call.īrizendine has since resigned from her position following backlash over the comments, The Washington Post reported. The remark that has perhaps gained the most attention and criticism came from the school board president, who said the parents looked at teachers as their babysitters. Members of a San Francisco-area school board are being called to resign after they were heard making derogatory remarks about parents on a Zoom call.
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