3 21-0613 Subject: Budget Amendment
From: Vice Mayor Kaplan, President Fortunato Bas, Councilmember Fife And President Pro Tem Thao
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Amending Resolution No. 88717 C.M.S., Which Adopted The City Of Oakland Biennial Budget For Fiscal Years 2021-23, To Allocate $1.836 Million From The General Purpose Fund To The Head Start Program As Set Forth In Exhibit 1 To This Resolution And To Direct The City Administrator To Include Relevant Enhancements To The Lincoln Square Recreation Center Renovation Capital Improvement Fund In The Fiscal Year 2022-23 Midcycle Budget Adjustment
As a former School Board /City Council Member I want to thank Councilwomen Kaplan, Bas, Fife & Thao for sponsoring this budget amendment. Over the years the City has stepped up to save & expand Headstart through political & economic crises because it is a good investment in our families and city:
• Headstart kids are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, or receive post-secondary degrees, license, or certification
• Helps support parent skills and ability to work
It is outrageous that Administration planned to close the Franklin, Tassaforanga & Arroyo Viejo Headstart programs in some of our poorest neighborhoods without public hearings and almost no notice.
It makes no sense to dismantle these programs when it is very likely that federal infrastructure funds for preschool will be increased.
Thank you also for expanding space at Lincoln Square. Chinatown has historically the most crowded schools and facilities. More Headstart space is a positive step towards Universal Preschool for Oakland.
Writing in from District 4, I very strongly support Head Start parents & workers in the Flatlands of East Oakland and demand NO CUTS, NO LAYOFFS AND NO CLOSURES to Head Start Programs. Hearing so much about the role of Head Start from my granddaughter’s other grandmother, witnessing that the resources this program provides supports the children and the whole family in ways that are so needed in these times of austerity and harshness. Oakland Head Start is an ANTI-POVERTY program that provides critical social services that include child care, nutrition, behavioral health and housing referrals. Proposed cuts were never discussed publicly with the communities these cuts will impact most. Cuts to Head Start mean fewer good jobs in our community, less access to healthy food, and fewer child care spaces for working families during this time of crisis. This is a public health and public safety crisis for East and West Oakland families.
To the City - immediately restore the current operation of the Head Start program, ensure that Head Start staff and all City workers are able to remain in their current positions, preserve current City-run child care slots, and stop site closures, especially closures in locations servicing East and West Oakland. The needs of West and East Oaklanders must be at the center of all future negotiations about the future of City of Oakland Head Start programs! The future of Head Start must be shaped by all parents and workers directly impacted.
Thank you.
I live in district 4 of Oakland, CA and have lived in the East Bay my whole life. Head Start programs historically serve Black and Brown low income families with quality preschool experiences including but not limited to education, nutrition, resources, parenting education, and overall developmental support for their children. I worked in a Head Start classroom for a year and it was what empowered me to continue teaching. Programs like Head Start need to be better funded. Money should absolutely not be reallocated from Head Start programs, and definitely should not be going towards bringing in the CHP, FBI and ATF to our communities. I am calling for no more closures of any Head Start programs and no more cuts to their funding. Not only will it mean a loss of support for children, it also means multiple teachers being laid off during a pandemic. People in these communities need to be heard and closures need to stop. Head Start teachers deserve job security and children need to have their needs met, which is what these educators know how to do. The needs of West and East Oaklanders must be at the center of all future negotiations about the future of City of Oakland Head Start programs! Thank you.
As a former School Board /City Council Member I want to thank Councilwomen Kaplan, Bas, Fife & Thao for sponsoring this budget amendment. Over the years the City has stepped up to save & expand Headstart through political & economic crises because it is a good investment in our families and city:
• Headstart kids are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, or receive post-secondary degrees, license, or certification
• Helps support parent skills and ability to work
It is outrageous that Administration planned to close the Franklin, Tassaforanga & Arroyo Viejo Headstart programs in some of our poorest neighborhoods without public hearings and almost no notice.
It makes no sense to dismantle these programs when it is very likely that federal infrastructure funds for preschool will be increased.
Thank you also for expanding space at Lincoln Square. Chinatown has historically the most crowded schools and facilities. More Headstart space is a positive step towards Universal Preschool for Oakland.
Writing in from District 4, I very strongly support Head Start parents & workers in the Flatlands of East Oakland and demand NO CUTS, NO LAYOFFS AND NO CLOSURES to Head Start Programs. Hearing so much about the role of Head Start from my granddaughter’s other grandmother, witnessing that the resources this program provides supports the children and the whole family in ways that are so needed in these times of austerity and harshness. Oakland Head Start is an ANTI-POVERTY program that provides critical social services that include child care, nutrition, behavioral health and housing referrals. Proposed cuts were never discussed publicly with the communities these cuts will impact most. Cuts to Head Start mean fewer good jobs in our community, less access to healthy food, and fewer child care spaces for working families during this time of crisis. This is a public health and public safety crisis for East and West Oakland families.
To the City - immediately restore the current operation of the Head Start program, ensure that Head Start staff and all City workers are able to remain in their current positions, preserve current City-run child care slots, and stop site closures, especially closures in locations servicing East and West Oakland. The needs of West and East Oaklanders must be at the center of all future negotiations about the future of City of Oakland Head Start programs! The future of Head Start must be shaped by all parents and workers directly impacted.
Thank you.
I live in district 4 of Oakland, CA and have lived in the East Bay my whole life. Head Start programs historically serve Black and Brown low income families with quality preschool experiences including but not limited to education, nutrition, resources, parenting education, and overall developmental support for their children. I worked in a Head Start classroom for a year and it was what empowered me to continue teaching. Programs like Head Start need to be better funded. Money should absolutely not be reallocated from Head Start programs, and definitely should not be going towards bringing in the CHP, FBI and ATF to our communities. I am calling for no more closures of any Head Start programs and no more cuts to their funding. Not only will it mean a loss of support for children, it also means multiple teachers being laid off during a pandemic. People in these communities need to be heard and closures need to stop. Head Start teachers deserve job security and children need to have their needs met, which is what these educators know how to do. The needs of West and East Oaklanders must be at the center of all future negotiations about the future of City of Oakland Head Start programs! Thank you.
I am a resident of District 1. I support the additional funding to make sure Head Start can function fully in our city for all our kids.
I strongly support this badly needed Budget Amendment adding monies to the Lincoln Square Recreation Center Renovation Capital Improvement Fund