Oakland School for the Arts Case Statement V2

2020 AND BEYOND

Looking Forward

Contents 1

Executive Summary: A New Reality / Envisioning Our Future

2

Social Justice and Equity Work

3

Promoting Creativity and Critical Thinking

4

Who We Are: About OSA

5

Essential Pathways to Learning

6

To Survive and Thrive

7

Where Will OSA be in the Next Five Years?

8

Outcomes and Proof of Impact

9

Financial Needs

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS •

1

Addressing a New Reality Envisioning Our Future

EXECUTIVE S U M M ARY 2020-21 marks Oakland School for the Arts (OSA)’s 19th year as a top-performing secondary school with a wealth of community support. However, the cost of providing public school students with access to a high-caliber arts education and proven, technology-based curriculum—during the global pandemic of COVID-19— is high. Fortunately, we had a healthy cash flow that kept us afloat through 2020. Now is the time to replenish that cash flow.

Because of the closure of the school’s facilities and the necessity of social distancing, various fundraising events and activities have been canceled. This has resulted in significant financial losses last year as well as this year. Not only have classrooms shifted dramatically to a remote learning environment, but budgets have also been severely impacted. Even when it becomes safe to open schools again, OSA will need to make changes to its programs and facilities to create and sustain a safe, inspired, and supportive learning environment.

Despite these challenges, Oakland School for the Arts remains an accessible, public institution that continues to serve over 800 students in grades 6-12 and employs over 100 teachers and staff. OSA is proud to continue to serve as a model for arts education and as an example of how the arts can play a transformative role in young people’s lives.

Students in a remote learning Instrumental Music class taught by Josh Jones.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 2

Social Justice and Equity Work This is a challenging time. Many of us feel that we are living in a triple pandemic: COVID -19, especially its disproportionate impact on Black and LatinX communities, the economic crisis, and the ongoing acts of racism and brutality toward Black people.

This past spring our community came together. Families, OSA staff, and students attended rallies and in solidarity marched together for a common cause—Black Lives Matter. We are proud of our teachers and students who expressed themselves through the painting of striking murals on our building and in the Uptown neighborhood. We take a stand as a school community to say that we do not tolerate racism.

Artwork made by Pablo Cristi.

Chair of Visual Art.

At the beginning of 2020-21, OSA invested in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion research position. The school will take a global look­—staffing, recruitment, programming & curriculum, repertoire, and core values—in order to build an equity rubric for the school that will be implemented through the school’s next Strategic Plan.

OSA has invested in a year-long residency with a seasoned and trained facilitator to provide ongoing, mandatory Professional Development workshops and trainings with all staff. This yearlong training is just the start; dismantling systemic racism is our ongoing and long-term work.

Mural conceptualized by OSA Visual Art alum Rachel Dharmapalan & OSA Fashion student Mooka Dharmapalan, and installed with help from Pablo Cristi, Chair of OSA Visual Art, and fellow OSA students.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 3

Promoting Creativity and Critical Thinking MISS IO N STATE M E NT Oakland School for the Arts is a diverse and inclusive public 6-12 charter school that blends immersive, robust arts with comprehensive academics, providing integrated opportunities for collaboration, expression, and personal growth.

V IS IO N STATE M E NT OSA students will be creative and critical thinkers who demonstrate a commitment to equity, community, collaboration, and self-reflection.

Through meaningful engagement with pathway-integrated curriculum and work-based learning opportunities, graduates will be resilient and ready for college and career. Alumni will exemplify the essential value of the arts in all they do.

Hand-in-hand with the philanthropic community, OSA works to improve the greater community by: • Serving the Oakland community through providing a unique and enriching educational experience through its arts and academic programs.

• Providing a 21st Century education to over 800 creative youth through work-based learning, rigorous academics, and comprehensive student support.

• Ensuring diversity, equity and representation.

• Achieving and maintaining excellence in its programs leading to robust university acceptance and career success for students.

• Teaching and preparing the next generation of leaders in an ever-changing, turbulent world.

Without the annual Spring Runway Show, Fashion Design students still wanted to make something that was cool and quirky, kind of like the department itself ! Students created department’s zine called ‘Lilac.” BOTTOM IMAGES: Art created by Visual Art students during shelter-in-place.

TOP IMAGE:

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 4

Who We Are A BO UT OAKL AND SCHOOL FO R T HE ARTS OSA was founded in 2002 by then-Mayor and CA Governor Jerry Brown. The school was founded with the philosophy of diversity and inclusion, and served 300 students at the Alice Arts Center. The school weathered two unforeseen moves. In mid-2004, the school lost its original facility and a temporary campus was created on an empty parking lot. In Summer 2007, OSA’s campus shrank again to create room for an affordable housing project. Students and faculty acclimated to learning and teaching in a fenced campus of trailers in the middle of San Pablo Avenue. In 2009, OSA finally relocated to its current main home: Downtown Oakland’s renovated Fox Theater. Over the following few years, OSA’s campus expanded to include Sweet’s Ballroom, Newberry Building and the White Box Studio.

OSA recently took a dramatic step in becoming a more diverse place to serve students. In our most recent charter renewal, we removed the requirement for students to audition to attend OSA. This action will allow the school to reach students who may not have the formal background in the arts but would thrive in the OSA community. The school actively recruits through Step it Up, a program that provides underserved 4th-5th grade youth from local Title 1 schools with specialized instruction in any OSA art program.

OSA currently employs 105 teachers and staff.

Volunteer support at OSA is strong, with over 250 parents and outside patrons volunteering in various capacities. OSA has a vibrant, passionate and engaged alumni base, and celebrates the accomplishments of all its alumni which includes singer/songwriter Kehlani, Tony Award winner Ari’el Stachel, actress Tati Gabrielle, dancer Jalen Preston and actress/singer Zendaya. OSA is governed by a diverse board of parents, community members, artists, educators and a student representative.

18% Hispanic/LatinX

18% MultiEthnic

21% Black

6% Asian

2% Declined to state

35% White

OSA has grown to now serve over 800 students, and is sought after by families as exhibited by the school’s waitlist. Over 625 of students applied for roughly 150 spots last year. OSA serves youth from across the Bay Area with a preference for Oakland-based students.

Of OSA’s students in the 2020-21 school year, 35% identify as White, 21% as Black, 18% as Hispanic/ LatinX, 18% as Multi-Ethnic, 6% as Asian, and 2% declined to state.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 5

Essential Pathways to Learning THE P R O GRAM Oakland School for the Arts is a Linked Learning Pathway school that balances an immersive arts program with a comprehensive academic curriculum, providing students unique opportunities for learning, innovation, expression and personal growth. During their years at OSA, students complete a challenging academic curriculum with an emphasis in one of nine artistic fields: Visual Art, Dance, Theatre, Literary Arts, Digital Media, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, Production Design and Fashion Design. OSA’s arts and academic programs build discipline and confidence, effectively preparing creative youth to achieve their potential both in and outside of the arts.

As a Linked Learning Pathway school in development, OSA is committed to optimizing the college and career readiness of our graduates. Through small learning communities of career-oriented pathways, OSA offers intensive, individualized support to create the conditions for all students to graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and career. The pathways are composed of four essential elements:

I. Rigorous Academics

II. Integrated Student Support

III. Work-Based Learning

IV. Career Technical Education Sequence

At the core of OSA’s career-readiness focus are the over 50 community partnerships that the school maintains.

Examples include: Cal Performances, Oakland Museum of California, Camp Reel Stories, Youth Speaks, SF Ballet and Oaktown Jazz.

Last spring, OSA celebrated a 99% graduation rate. Beyond graduation rates, OSA measures its success on a number of metrics. Academic success is measured through state and internal assessments. Artistic growth and proficiency are measured through portfolios and performances. About 90% of OSA graduates go on to 2/4 year colleges, universities and conservatories, and admissions include: San Francisco Conservatory, Columbia, UC Berkeley, NYU, University of the Arts London, Stanford, Oberlin Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, Central Saint Martins, UCLA and Cornell.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 6

To Survive and Thrive Re d u c e Deficits

S upp o r t A Vi a b l e Fi n a n c i a l Plan

Ad a p t To C ha n g i n g Ti m e s

Id e n t i f y As A Cul t u ra l Asset

Oakland School for the Arts is one of the highest performing public schools in Oakland.

However, the reality of being a public institution that offers unique and high-caliber arts training automatically means an added cost to the school’s overall operating budget.

Since its beginning, OSA has always had the challenge of annual operating deficits simply because of its arts programs. Now, because of COVID-19, OSA faces new and more pressing financial challenges.

As OSA looks to the future, the question of overall affordability becomes more apparent.

The current facilities that house Oakland School for the Arts are too expensive and not fully equipped to provide the level of arts education that is the school’s mission to provide. The rent for the main building on campus—the Fox Theater—has been paid for by billboard revenue, a $1M contract that will expire within the next 5 years. If OSA is to survive—and thrive—it must adapt to the changing times and make decisions with longterm sustainability as the driving force.

OSA strives to be, and in recent years has succeeded in becoming, a value-added resource for the City of Oakland, as a cultural asset, an attractive choice for families with school-aged children, and as an economic driver that generates income for the city. One of the most important aspects about the school is the strong school culture. It is a place where students can be themselves no matter their race, sexual identity or background.

In order to survive the economic realities of not only COVID-19 but also simply being a public arts charter school in Oakland, OSA must become much more financially stable. The school must ensure that its legacy is proliferated by the support of a viable and sustainable financial plan. To achieve these goals, OSA must focus on growing its major donor base so that it can be ready and in the best position to build long-term sustainability.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 7

Where Will OSA Be in the Next Five Years?

OSA is poised to solidify its future and increase its financial capacity through a strategic plan and the implementation of its thoughtful strategies. Future OSA students will experience an institution that is cultivating excellence at all levels and working to sustain it. In order to make this happen the management and allocation of resources must be skillful and purposeful, fully aligned with the goals and values of the school.

The Future of OSA Will Include: • Financial sustainability that allows the school to maintain a healthy reserve, and attract/maintain faculty staff that are paid competitive wages • Continuing to give the world generations of critical thinkers and innovative problem-solvers who demonstrate the essential value of the arts in all that they do • Developing curriculum models that are further aligned with national art standards and higher education • Designing more community partnerships, leveraging the school within the Oakland community • Curriculum that is more inclusive and representative • An increased number of students who qualify for free & reduced lunch

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 8

Outcomes and Proof of Impact OSA ST UD ENT ARTISTIC ACHIE VE ME N TS I N C LUD E : • 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, Leila Mottley received a deal with Knopf to publish her debut novel • Vocal Rush is a five-time national a cappella champion • The High School Big Band placed 1st in the Folsom Jazz Festival, 2nd at the El Cerrito Jazz Fest, and an unprecendented 4th at the Reno Jazz Fest • In collaboration with Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, OSA Instrumental Music students have collaborated with Oakland and Berkeley Unified School Districts, and El Sistema programs all across California. They have performed alongside Gustavo Dudamel’s Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles as well as on stage in a combined 170 student orchestra at Zellerbach Hall • Fashion Design student Ajai Wilborn won a Gucci Changemakers x CFDA by Design Scholarship • Fashion Design alum Zachary Fernandez was 3rd runner-up on the reality show Project Runway Junior and showed a collection at NY Fashion Week • Students have been featured in Downbeat Magazine for best Jazz Soloist and Original Composition

• Students have performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Martin, Kronos String Quartet, Pete Escovedo, Michael Franti, Daveed Diggs, Rafa Casal, Dave Grohl, Adrian Marcel and Coldplay • Fashion Design students have had their work shown alongside Kehinde Wiley and Ruth E. Carter in the exhibit Self,Made at the Exploratorium in San Francisco • OSA students have performed at Carnegie Hall, the Fox Theater in Oakland, Yoshi’s, PIXAR, Google and Youtube Headquarters • Dance alum have gone on to dance and been featured in music videos for such stars as Janet Jackson, Arianna Grande, Kehlani, and Sam Smith • Fashion Design alumna Nyah Ginwright was a featured speaker at the Smithsonian about fashion and identity • Graduates have become stars in HBO, Netflix and Disney series • Graduates have become Tony Award winners, Emmy and Grammy nominees

STEP IT UP Since 2014, OSA has annually served an additional 100 students in the community through Step it Up, a recruitment program specifically designed to give underserved Oakland youth access to OSA’s high-quality arts instruction. Step it Up seeks to give interested students the tools they need to feel confident in applying to OSA.

LOOKING FORWARD: 2020 AND BEYOND • OAKLAND SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS • 9

Financial Needs OSA’s 2020-21 budget totals $10,335,917 and is funded by a combination of federal, state and local sources. OSA does not charge tuition but it is donation-dependent. Each year the school must raise 8-13% of its annual budget from local, philanthropic sources.

REVEN UE State $8,544,146 Federal $433,648 Local $1,380,054 TOTA L $10,357,848

EX PEN SES Personnel Expenses

$7,685,470

Other Expenses

$2,650,447

(books, supplies, technology, facilities, and other operating expenses)

TOTAL

RIGHT:

$10,335,917

In Literary Arts, “Senior Books” is the capstone class.

Students in Literary Arts read, discuss, and write for three hours a day, five days a week, and dedicate their senior year to the completion of a book length manuscript. These books range from collections of poetry, plays, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Last spring, eight graduating seniors hosted a virtual Senior Book Launch.

2020 AND BEYOND

530 18th Street, Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 873-8800 www.OakArts.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/osaschool Follow us on Instagram: @osaschool Read our publications on Issuu: issuu.com/oakarts