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Vote YES on Proposition 16 on November 3rd! "California is one of only 9 states that outlaw policies that promote equal opportunity for all - Proposition 16 will end that!"* Proposition 16 will repeal the ban on equal opportunity by strengthening resources for K-12 schools, helping to end wage discrimination against women, standing up and protecting workers of color, and giving the opportunity for all children to have an equal opportunity to higher education. ... Learn more about Prop 16 by visiting: voteyesonprop16.org *

Join U.S. MBDA Enterprising Women of Color in collaboration with Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship & Coca-Cola on Oct 22n...d at 1PM ET for The BIG Pivot: Empowerment. Strategies. Growth. This virtual event features expert advice on how to shift your business. Register now mbda.gov/ewoc #WomenWednesday #WinningtheFutureNOW #EWOC See more

MEET SHANTHI GONZALES Born in and raised in Hayward, OUSD Board Vice-President Shanthi Gonzales is a proud product of public schools; from elementary through Castro Valley High to Cal State East Bay, where she studied Political Science and History, to a MA in Political Science from San Francisco State, she realizes the impact of public education. Her experiences guided her to seek office to give these best opportunities to Oakland youth. Shanthi has lived in Oakland since 20...02 and has been a resident of District 6 in 2009. Politics and education are in her DNA. Her father organized for Chavez and the United Farm Workers and became a legal aid attorney; her mother was a preschool teacher and social worker in Alameda County for over 40 years. Naturally, she did her first phone banking around the age of 10. Now in her second term, Shanthi serves on the Facilities, Budget & Finance and Charter Matters Committees and is the Board Liaison to the Audit Committee. Her priority is to keep the District in balance and use its resources as efficiently as possible. When the District needed to do more, she stepped up to lead the charge for fall ballot Measure Y, which will bring $735 million to the District to improve facilities by upgrading classrooms with science labs and technology; repairing bathrooms and electrical systems, and improving energy efficiency. She believes that passage of this measure is critical to providing a quality education in Oakland. When asked about introducing a bond during the pandemic, she is quick to point out that OUSD has been advocating this measure for years, well before the current challenges. Our facilities are in need of repair and restructuring, and the students are worth it, she says. #OUSD #OUSDSpotlight #oaklandunifiedschooldistrict

OAKLAND IN THE EMMYS: OUSD Spotlight of the Week The annual celebration for excellence in television entertainment, the 72nd Emmy Awards show on ABC on Sunday night, September 20, was a huge night for Oakland Unified School District, and people with roots here. The District can add three Emmys to the collection of awards amassed throughout the years by alumni, staff, former students, and other connected artists. Zendaya, who is from Oakland and whose mother taught at Fr...uitvale Elementary, won for Lead Actress in a Drama for her work in HBO’s Euphoria. Another winner was 2004 McClymonds High School graduate, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who took the Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his work in Watchmen on HBO. And lastly, current students from across the District can celebrate the win by We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, an HBO documentary, which took home the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program produced by Mahershala Ali, who was born in Oakland, and assisted by Skyline High School Drama Teacher, Awele Makeba in the production of the oratorical fest. Congratulations to our OUSD/ Oakland community!

OUSD SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK: Meet Emiliano Sanchez, the Director of CTE (Career and Technical Education) Trades and Apprenticeships for OUSD since 2015. For nine years he worked as a sheet metal worker for A&H Steel in Union City. He later earned a BS in Mathematics and began his career in Oakland Unified; over the last 29 years, he has served as teaching assistant, mathematics teacher and coach, Assistant Principal and Principal at Fremont High School. He has never forgott...en his roots, and he knows how times are even more challenging for youth. Schools stopped teaching the merits of being in the trades, I want to change that. Emiliano created the pathway for students to graduate from high school and go seamlessly to apprenticeships. The OUSD CTE model introduces Middle and High school students to career and skilled trades courses on their school campus, and participation in apprenticeship programs outside of school. In addition, OUSD plans two skill trainings a year, partnering with Laney College and Cypress Mandela. While the Laney program was cut due to the pandemic, students still participated in the Cypress Mandela program, a 5-week, OSHA Certified program where the students received a $1000 stipend. Program highlights: In 2016, OUSD participated in the Women Can Build Career Fair with 30 girls. In 2019, OUSD represented 80% of the attendees and 130 girls. In 2016, 12 industry partners worked with OUSD; there were 30+ partners in Fall 2019. 6 High schools initially took part; now 15 High schools and one middle school participate. Merritt College is partnering with OUSD with new programs such as the culinary arts. A virtual build fair is in the works, and Emiliano is creating a virtual career fair for February 2021, to include virtual tours at trades unions, as Emiliano tries to navigate through the uncertainties of the pandemic.

OUSD graduates unveil a mural that is "For the Culture. By the Culture." BART along with OUSD graduates, uncovered a large mural at the Coliseum BART Station last Friday. The mural was designed by a group of seven young men who were all part of African American Male Achievement (AAMA) and participated in paid summer internships with BART. The mural was a part of a final project through the internship program in which they worked with BART's Art in Transit Program which prov...ides voice to youth through art at BART stations. Their design was brought to life by a local artist. We congratulate our OUSD graduates on this great accomplishment and look forward to seeing more of their achievements in the future. #OUSD100 #IAMOUSD