EXCERPT FROM: KTVU San Francisco
By STAFF
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Families opposed to the closure of seven Oakland Unified School District childcare centers marched Wednesday to the Board of Education meeting to protest shuttering the state-funded centers, a spokeswoman for the families said.
Parent support group Oakland Parents Together and families of students from the childcare centers held a press conference before marching to the 5 p.m. board meeting.
Students will speak during the public comment period at the board meeting, said Laurice Brown, a parent of students at the Manzanita childcare center and an Oakland Parents Together spokeswoman.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in May proposed cutting state-funded child development centers. The legislature has yet to pass a state budget, and school districts were required to submit their budgets by June 30, Brown said.
"With the cuts on the table there was no guaranteed funding," Brown said. "The school district had to go ahead and operate as if they were not getting the state funding."
The Oakland childcare centers at risk of closing are Manzanita, Hintil, Sante Fe, Jefferson, Piedmont, Sequoia and Golden Gate. More than 700 preschool and school-age children would be affected if the centers in question were shut down, Brown said.
Last month, Oakland schools tapped $400,000 in one-time federal stimulus funds to keep the childcare centers open to school-age children until the end of August, school district spokesman Troy Flint said. The stimulus money was originally designated for professional development at Title 1 schools for low-income students, he added.