Support Bridges Academy at Melrose

Before a recent Oakland Unified School District Board Meeting where Bridges staff hoped to speak out on looming budget cuts, 4th-grade teacher Pat Kaplan waited outside the school to offer rides to Bridges families. When no one showed up, she headed off to the meeting, unsure about what kind of turnout there would be.

But as she approached the steps of the district office, she discovered dozens of Bridges community members were already there, many with signs protesting the cuts. By the time the meeting began, more than 100 Bridges students, families, and staff had turned out to represent the school. During the public comment period, several (including students) spoke out on the impact cuts would have. "It was very powerful for us to feel that support and know our kids can be that articulate," says Kaplan.

"It was really emotional," recalls 4th-grade teacher Stephanie Pool. "It showed that people really care and that this is really important to our community."

Nothing left to cut

Why, specifically, is the budget situation so important? The dollar amount itself is startling: Bridges Academy's budget will be cut by more than $200,000 next year. But more disturbing are the very tangible resources at stake. At risk are several positions, including virtually every member of Bridges' essential support staff: library teacher, interventionist, physical education teacher, counselor, psychologist, and even daytime teachers.

This is especially painful, says 4th-grade teacher Soo Hyun Han, given Bridges' encouraging achievement gains: Our Academic Performance Index (API) score rose 37 points to 767, a milestone highlighted in the media this fall. "How," Han asks, "can we continue making this progress when these cuts are going to completely disrupt our school next year?"

"A lot of people might not understand why support staff is so necessary," says 4th-grade teacher Stephanie Pool. "Our intervention specialists are so important for kids who are struggling with reading, and our [outreach coordinator] does things [like frequent home visits] that are impossible for daytime teachers to do."

The repercussions ripple across the entire campus. To name just a few of the consequences: Fewer teachers mean larger class sizes and possibly split-grade classes. Cuts to after-school programs mean losing partners like Playworks, which runs Bridges' sports teams and overall physical fitness program. Experiential learning may very well take a hit too, as staff figures out which, if any, formative field trips (like Camp Arroyo) the school can afford next year.

Bleak as the outlook seems, the Bridges community's response has been a testament to the school's proactive spirit and unity. "Everyone has been talking about how we're all in this together," says Kaplan. On the March 15 Day of Action, they proved that again – this time by taking a bus all the way to Sacramento. (See our Day of Action banner, left.) Close to 20 parents made the trip, along with half of the school's teaching staff. "Parents were very proud to carry the banner and make a lot of noise," she says. "It was very positive."

"We then followed that up with a rally at Oakland High School," says 4th-grade teacher Rosa Kurshan, "to let even more people in our community know what is happening."

Students also took up the cause, writing four-page letters to the School Board. In one, 5th-grader Sabrina laid out the ramifications of losing the school librarian. "In library we don't just read, we get to learn how to use the Internet in preparation for middle school. We also get to explore new books. If we didn't have a library, we would go to middle school unprepared. We need our library!"

You can help! Contributions of any amount will help us continue offering our young scholars and artists the resources they deserve. Below are just a few of the ways your donation can have an impact.

• $50 helps us pay for art supplies – paints, pastels, paper, and more – that our future Picassos need for their projects
• $100 sends one student on the ever-popular three-day outdoor education trip to Camp Arroyo in Livermore.
• $250 funds one class's bus to Camp Arroyo.
• $500 supports our Playworks after-school fitness and wellness program

You can donate online here
or by check to "OSF/Bridges," PO Box 20238, Oakland, CA 94620.

Thank you for your support!