Letter from the Executive Director

A CHALLENGING YEAR WITH MANY ACHIEVEMENTS

A LETTER FROM OSA’S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LISA SHERMAN-COLT

Dear OSA Supporters,

Welcome to Oakland School for the Arts. It was in March of 2020 that we began remote teaching and learning. No one would have imagined at that time that we were on the brink of a triple pandemic of COVID-19, the economic crisis and the ongoing acts of racism throughout our country. Even with these incredible challenges, we continued to make grand achievements.

• 99% of our Class of 2020 graduated and of those students, 95% applied to 2/4 year post-secondary programs . 100% of students who chose to apply to post-secondary programs received acceptance letters .

• We are maintaining a 98% attendance rate while in remote learning .

• Over 200 Chromebooks and 115 hotspots are being provided to students in need .

• A year-long Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) plan has rolled out that examines all aspects of how the school operates and will result in creating a leadership role and an equity rubric for the school .

• OSA is undergoing the accreditation process through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) . Our school community is taking part in this process .

• We are designing a 3-year Strategic Plan for 2022-25 that focuses on setting goals, benchmarks and an action plan to our four pillars: Academic Excellence, Artistic Excellence, Community, and Sustainability . Our school community is taking part in the design process and adopting metrics for the plan to hold ourselves accountable .

• We served 90 students in grades 5-8 who attend Oakland Title 1 schools through OSA’s Step it Up recruitment program .

• We developed over 50 community partnerships with Oakland businesses, community not -for -profit organizations and educational organizations .

Even as a confluence of unparalleled circumstances has become a part of our everyday lives, we are forging ahead with the OSA mission on behalf of our students, faculty, staff and community, to make OSA a leader in equitable instruction through the arts. I will continue to lead OSA with the vision that former Governor, then Mayor Jerry Brown, had when he opened OSA nineteen years ago. None of this would have been possible without your support . Thank you. It is an honor to serve as Executive Director for OSA. I hope you will enjoy reading our FY19-20 Annual Report. Thank you for your continued support for OSA.

Lisa Sherman-Colt Executive Director