About Renato: http://renatoforschoolboard.com
- Renato has lived in Oakland and in District 6 since 1996. He is the parent of a recent graduate of the Oakland school system, and served on the parent advisory counsels of each of his son's schools. He is a professional who has worked with schools and non-profit leadership in the Oakland and East Bay community for many years, a community organizer, board member, and a professor of education. Go to our website, or keep reading to learn more about Renato's qualifications and why he is is running for School Board.
Why do I want to be on the Oakland School Board?
I believe in the power of community. I believe we have it in us to satisfy all of our individual and collective needs. I believe we’re on our way to having the beloved community that we desire. It seems to me that this is so because we know the importance of our children and youth. Years ago, we the people made a promise to provide for all children the educational experience they deserve. Public education exists to deliver on that promise by focusing on student learning. For the Oakland Unified School District, a core philosophical tenet is that every student in the district, regardless of gender, special needs, or social, ethnic, language or economic background has a right to a high-quality education that challenges the student to achieve to his/her fullest potential. Although this promise may have been made in prior generations, it is our turn to take up the promise of a quality education for every child. I am running for school board because it’s my turn to ensure we make good on that promise.
Why vote for me?
Since moving to Oakland in 1996, I have felt privileged to experience the soul of our town. I fully embody the vision that it takes a village to raise our children, respect our elders and support our leaders. To truly realize this vision, we need leadership. Leadership, however, requires that we give and receive power, authority, love and significance. I have demonstrated this kind of leadership as a parent, a professional, a community organizer, a board member, and a professor of education. Most important, I understand what it takes to raise a child in Oakland, to attend OUSD schools, and to engage authentically so that all of our children, not just my biological child, feel loved, respected and honored for who they are and are becoming.
My Qualifications
As a Parent:
I served on the School Site Council at my son’s elementary, middle and high school. For five years I chaired the School Site Counsel at each level. At each, we achieved creating and passing a student achievement plan that effectively and equitably allocated federal funds to serve our kids who had the greatest needs. I am proud to say that my son recently graduated from Skyline High School.
As a Professional:
I supported the creation of new schools in East and West Oakland founded on the principles of equity, effectiveness and community collaboration. This included providing Principal Professional Development and Teacher Leadership development. As a result, our principals and these schools contributed to the district making some of the greatest student achievement gains in California.
I served on the Planning and Oversight Committee of the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth for eight years, chairing three strategic planning processes, and co-chairing the POC for three years. During my tenure, we allocated $10 - $14 million of funds that leveraged our efforts with partners for greater collective impact towards social and economic equity. We built the capacity of community agencies to work together to fully develop each child's potential, achieve positive outcomes, and promote the positive contributions of children and youth to Oakland's greatness.
For the last five years I have been supporting over one hundred nonprofit executive directors in the East Bay and San Francisco toward strengthening their leadership and management competencies, and enhancing their organizational capacity, so that they can deepen their community impact.
As a Community Organizer:
I participated in and led city-wide parent leadership actions that included engaging with school district leadership on many of the reform efforts our town has experienced. I co-facilitated meetings with the then-newly appointed state administrator Randall Ward and Oakland parents to understand our expectations and make agreements toward sharing our commitment to supporting all of our students.
As a Board Member:
I have served and continue to serve on nonprofit boards including Oakland Asian Student Educational Services, Filipino Advocates for Justice, and San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools. In each of these, I became president, where I organized the board’s infrastructure and focused on financial stability.
As a Professor of Education:
I taught organizational and leadership development at the graduate school level. This included teaching four years at CSU East Bay in the Educational Leadership for Social Justice doctoral program. Most of the students were school and district administrators. In one institution, I was named Faculty of the Year twice.
I love Oakland! I believe in the power of community. I want to continue supporting our communities by serving on the School Board. Join our campaign.
