About
OUSD Parent Community is an independent publication launched in February 2026.
We are a community of Oakland parents and neighbors invested in ensuring that our public schools thrive. We created this newsletter and website because it has been so hard to access clear, honest information about what's happening in OUSD from district leadership, board members, the Oakland Educators Association (OEA), and the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE). Our aim is to make it easier for the community to track the status of OUSD developments and provide tools to help ensure your voice is heard.
We hope that by establishing a shared source of reliable information we can have better, more productive conversations about how to ensure all Oakland kids have the great public schools they deserve.
What we've been processing
This information is difficult to digest. It is messy and reveals a school system in a deep need of care. When we first started going down this road, we had to take time to grieve. Our teachers don't have the resources they deserve. Every child in OUSD deserves better. Parents have entered this system feeling powerless to help their children.
The problems are real. Revenue shortfalls have created downstream effects that are harming Oakland's kids, teachers, and our future as a city. On the other side of our grief is the powerful belief that together we can dream, learn, build consensus, and turn the page.
We're not here because we have the answers. We're here because we have the time to dive deep, share what we find, and make room for your voice in this conversation.
We believe that in the wider OUSD community, everyone cares deeply about Oakland kids. The teachers in the classrooms, admin and support staff, the district office, school board members, parents and caregivers - we all want our kids to succeed and our schools to be thriving communities. Together, we want to build an equitable, empowering plan for our children that honors the good intentions of everyone working in this system while pushing all of us toward something better.
As the West African proverb goes: if you want to move fast, move alone. If you want to move far, move together.
We're glad you're here.
Who we are
Editors
The newsletter is run by Anna Utgoff, Jess Tatiana Cornejo Flores, and Rebekah Otto.
Anna Utgoff
Anna has lived in Rockridge since 2011. She has a daughter at Chabot Elementary, and another at Black Pine Circle. She has worked in education data for much of her career, including for Aspire Public Schools.
Jess Tatiana Cornejo Flores
Having had to leave her motherland at five years old, Jess has maintained deep connection to her Kichwa ancestry through dance, and currently serves as a board member of the Asociación Cultural Kanchis. She lives with the duality of having benefited from western opportunities – and the guilt that comes with that. As an OUSD parent, she is committed to community empowerment as the path to building a system where our scholars can truly thrive.
Rebekah Otto
Bekah has lived in the Laurel for 13 years. Both of her kids go to Melrose Leadership Academy in Maxwell Park. She’s a proud alum of Chicago Public Schools. Before becoming involved with the OUSD Community Parents Chat, Bekah helped found the Oakland Book Festival, a free festival of ideas in Oakland City Hall from 2015 - 2017.
Contributors
Rachael Kirk-Cortez
Rachael Kirk-Cortez is a mom to two kids at Sequoia Elementary and a D5 resident in the Jefferson neighborhood. In no particular order she's a: life-long Bay Area resident, climate and sustainability advocate, Girl Scout troop leader, marketing & communications consultant, and e-bike commuter. She is keen to see OUSD take action to improve daily life for students, especially by the steps listed at www.cooltheschools.org.