Good afternoon and welcome to the sorry life enrichment committee meeting of December ninth, two thousand twenty-five.

The time is now four or two PM and this meeting may come to order.

Before taking role, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on this agenda.

If you're here with us in chamber and would like to submit a speaker card, please pull one out and turn one turn one into a clerk representative no later than ten minutes after the start of this meeting or before the item is read into record.

Registering to speak via Zoom is now due twenty-four hours prior to the start of this meeting time.

This meeting came to order at four four oh two PM, and this and speaker cards will no longer be accepted ten minutes after, making that time for twelve PM.

We'll now proceed with taking role with members present.

Council membersgaillo.

Council Member Houston.

Here.

Council Member Wong, present.

And Chair Five present.

Thank you.

We have four members present.

And before we begin, Chair, do you have any announcements at this time?

No, ma'am.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Reading in item number one, approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting.

Committee meetings held on October fourteenth, two thousand twenty-five and November eighteenth, two thousand twenty-five.

I do not see him logged on Zoom.

So that would conclude our speakers.

I'll entertain a motion on this item.

Thank you.

We have a motion made by Councilmember Gaio, seconded by Councilmember Wong to approve the committee draft minutes from October 14th and November 18, 2025.

As is on roll councilmember Skyo.

Aye.

Councilmember Houston.

Aye.

Councilmember Wong.

Aye.

And Chair Five.

Aye.

Thank you.

Item number one passes with four eyes.

Reading in item two.

Determination of schedule of outstanding committee items.

We do have one speaker that signed up to speak on this.

Well, take the public.

To say that the life enrichment for students at McClyman's High School is almost non-existent.

McClyman's High School is going to the state championship this coming weekend.

And they played on a field that was toxic soil.

They were not allowed to play most of their games there because the soil is toxic.

They didn't have the whole uh football season a working scoreboard.

It would stop, it wouldn't work.

So last week they rented a scoreboard instead of replacing a scoreboard.

The PA system doesn't work.

We have rats in the kitchen.

The flow system, water flow system, we don't have it.

We don't have an intercom system.

We don't have ADA accessibility.

The whole issue of McClyman's has been ignored.

The quality of life at that school is almost.

You said you went to the school to talk about some things.

You need to talk about some of these things.

These children do not have the opportunity to have the same programs as your newcomer students.

So the quality of life for black children, the so-called black students' reparation program is non-existent.

They've done nothing.

So when do we get an opportunity in this city to have the issues of African Americans dealt with?

You're a sanctuary city.

You brag on how you protect your immigrants, but you don't protect black people.

When you look at the stop data that you never look at, you see African Americans are the main targets for stops, traffic tickets, citations, going to jail, African Americans, over 9% unemployment, the highest number of people deport, uh I say deported.

Y'all say displacement.

Did you like that word?

So we need to do something.

Thank you for your comments, Mrs.

Sada.

Chair that concludes all speakers on this item.

Thank you for that.

And I I rushed in for this meeting.

I was two minutes late, but there was something that I should have acknowledged at the top of the meeting, and I wanted to find out if our new HSD director is here, if the ACA can introduce our new staff person.

Thank you so much, Chair Fife.

Through the chair, I have the absolute honor and pleasure of introducing our new human services director who started on yesterday.

Dr.

Jason Lester, thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to give him a couple of minutes to introduce himself to our committee as well as to the members of the public.

Well, hello, my name is Dr.

Jason Lester, and I have enjoyed my first 48 as being the new director of human services for the city of Oakland.

Uh, it is truly a privilege uh to stand uh before leaders uh so deeply committed to elevating the well-being, dignity, and opportunity of Oakland residents.

Black people too, give me time, all right.

I gotta finish my speech.

I'll take a look at the we have an individual who stepped into leadership to serve the city of Oakland to step into a role that he will learn about, and I would like to hear your speech uninterrupted, sir.

So, if you may continue.

I'm gonna start from the beginning.

Good evening, and thank you for welcoming me.

My name is Dr.

Jason H.

Lester, and I have the honor of serving as the new Director of Human Services for the City of Oakland.

It is truly a privilege to stand before leaders so deeply committed to elevating the well-being, dignity, and opportunity of Oakland residents.

I come to this role with more than two decades of experience in strengthening systems that support children, families, and vulnerable communities.

My path has taken me through higher education, child welfare, homelessness services, and county leadership.

Each chapter has reaffirmed a belief I hold deeply.

People do not need saving, they need access, affirmation, opportunity, and a community that stands with them.

Oakland is a city known for its culture, its voice, and its resilience.

As we steward resources that shape the arc of someone's life from early childhood to older adulthood, we have a responsibility to be accountable, innovative, and deeply human in our approach.

My vision is straightforward, that every program we operate, every dollar we steward, and every partnership we build moves people towards stability, belonging, and hope.

We will invest in strategies that prevent crisis rather than simply respond to them.

So outcomes are not abysmal, they are measurable.

This community has influence not only over policies and investments, but over the broader ecosystem of connection and support across the city.

I look forward to listening, learning, and leading with you.

Thank you for the warm welcome.

I'm excited to for the work of work ahead, and even more excited what we'll accomplish together.

Well, thank you.

Thank you for yes, I will entertain comments from the committee.

Did you grow up here in Oakland?

No, sir.

I did not grow up in Oakland.

Where did you grow up?

I'm from Decatur, Georgia.

From Georgia?

Yes, sir.

And uh, where did where was your last job?

Did you have?

Deputy Director at El Paso County, Department of Human Services.

And what what county?

El Paso County, which is Colorado Springs.

And El Paso?

Yes, sir.

In Texas.

Uh Colorado.

Colorado.

Okay.

From there you came here to Oakland.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Welcome.

Councilman next, okay?

Welcome.

Lester.

Mr.

Lester, Jason Lester, right?

Yes, sir.

Ken Houston, son of Oakland, District 7, Councilmember.

Uh, welcome.

You said some words that I love to hear.

I heard need opportunity and access, right?

And outcomes that are measurable.

Those are key words to my ears.

So welcome and thank you.

And I'm willing to walk you around District 7 or any district that my council members want me to walk you around so you can get familiar.

Um, Oakland's a different animal, right?

It's a different animal, and we've we got different.

Every city has different issues, and we have different issues and I and I'm a trust in you and I'm gonna believe in you, and I'm gonna embrace you.

Um, so I'll walk you around and we get to know each other and let's make something happen in the town, okay?

Sounds good, sir.

All right, all right.

Thank you, Councilmember Houston.

Councilmember Wong.

Thanks.

Um I make the same offer to you, and I just wanted to say that um we are so excited for you to lead this department.

It's there has not been this role filled for far too long.

So welcome to the team, and uh we have a lot of work to do, so and I'm uh Charlene Wong, I'm the uh district two city council member.

Thank you.

Very nice to meet you.

And I will close out by saying thank you, Dr.

Lester.

We are happy to have you here.

Uh word of suggestion.

Have a faith tradition and utilize it, because as our council members are trying to share with you, this is this is more than a notion to come and serve this city, and I I'm wishing your success because we truly need leadership in this department, and we're here to support you in that role.

So thank you for being here.

Thank you, ma'am.

You have a great agreement.

I will entertain a motion.

I also have a recommendation to bring to this council.

Uh and what I'd like to do is be able to, what we did in the past, have communication with Oakland Unified School District where they would be present, especially the condition they were in with their deficit level, but at the same time, these are ch Oakland's children.

This is part of the city of Oakland, and at one time we used to work strictly together.

Uh, and I'd like to invite them to come to this committee to present their financial condition.

Where are they going in terms of serving McClimas?

Where is Oakland Unified doing to invest in the East Oakland, which is greatly challenged?

And I'd like to hear from them directly because we're one, we're a city of Oakland that needs to come together to make sure the investment for our children and families is unified, and um, Oakland is also gonna be going through some serious financial challenges.

So I've seen this before, and certainly right now we're out there celebrating, but in reality, we'll see what happens two months later.

Uh but anyway, so I just want to make sure that that we invite, I'd be happy to invite Oakland Unified to come and share their financial uh situation, but at the same time, what are their directions to serve our children and families from a climate to Castleman in the future based on the financial support they have, and I certainly welcome uh otherwise we'd be just doing more talking and more talking, and meanwhile, the conditions in Oakland are a lot different than I saw growing up here in this city, and um so I I will go ahead and invite uh them to come here, but at the same time, I like to have life in Richmond entertain that discussion that presentation uh so we can work together to make Oakland what we all claim we want it to be, and that's a great place to live in, and uh certainly we've experienced that in the past, and we need to get back together and working together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Make a motion to approve the calendar.

Thank you, Council Member Gu.

I um will entertain a second.

Thank you.

We have a motion made by council members guy and council member Houston to approve the determination of schedule of outstanding committee items as is on roll council members guy.

I Houston Aye Wong, aye, and Chair Five.

Aye.

Thank you.

Item number two passes with four eyes to accept the determination of scheduled outstanding committee items as is.

Now reading in item number three, adopt a resolution authorizing the city administrator to enter into a grant agreement with the friends of Peralta, Hacienda Historical Park, and a total amount not to exceed 45,900 for fiscal year 2025 to 26, and 45,900 for fiscal year two thousand twenty-six-27.

And we do have five speakers that signed up for this item.

Okay, if you could put five minutes on the clock for our presentation, I believe Pamela Matera is here to present.

Hi, good afternoon.

I'm Pamela Mateira.

I'm the acting cultural funding coordinator in the economic and workforce development department.

Um I have a brief presentation today for your review.

To enter into a resolution authorizing the city administrator to enter into our grant agreement with Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park.

So the FY25 27 adopted budget includes appropriations in the general purpose fund for a grant agreement with Peralta Hacienda.

The grant agreement and funds ensure that Peralta Hacienda continues to operate its core programs and serve the community without interruption.

Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park is a nonprofit organization located in Fruitvale, District 5.

Their mission is to engage people of the many cultures that have formed and are still transforming California, moving towards greater equity, environmental resilience, and a sense of belonging for all.

So just to give you a sense of some of the programs that they offer, their youth and community programs include an award-winning school field trips program and an internship program for teens and young adults that employs over 100 youth and young adults in Fruitvale.

They produce 25 events annually, including five large-scale cultural festivals in collaboration with immigrant, refugee, and indigenous communities.

Each event is co-created with those it represents, fostering pride and visibility.

And the site also hosts dozens of additional public programs, plays, concerts, and community celebrations throughout the year.

Volunteers play a vital role in keeping the park clean, safe, and welcoming.

They do work like picking up litter, gardening, small maintenance projects, distributing food at the community food program, welcoming visitors in the museum, and supporting cultural and community events.

And finally, staff manage the maintenance of on-site cultural facilities, including necessary upkeep and repairs to the museum and outdoor cultural areas that directly impact visitor experience.

So this recommended grant falls under the City of Oakland's commitment to critical cultural institutions, including the Chabot Space and Science Center, Children's Fairyland, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, and the Oakland Museum of California.

So my department Economic and Workforce Development assumes stewardships of these relationships at the mid-year FY24-25.

And when we assume stewardship, we had grant agreements in place for everyone except Peralta Hacienda.

So we're now working through this legislative process to reinstate the mechanism to award these grant funds.

So in the agenda report, I have included a summary of past funding for Peralta Hacienda as well as the current recommendation.

We have a relationship dating back to 2003 with the organization, and this funding will allow Peralta Hacienda to continue its youth and community programs, coordinate and manage a robust volunteer program, and address maintenance and repairs at the park's historic house and grounds.

As I stated, our relationship dates back over 20 years, and at the conclusion of each grant period, the organization submits a report outlining goals achieved and audiences served.

Are there any initial questions from the committee?

If not, we'll hear from our public speakers.

Calling on the names that's signed up for item number three in no particular order.

You can come up to the podium and um just state your name before beginning.

GOA Lee, Carmelita Andrews, Miguel Lopez, Xavier Beckett, and Asada Olabala.

And then just please go ahead and state your name before beginning.

Excellent.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Miguel Lopez.

I'm the executive director of Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, and I'm here in strong emphatic support of this resolution.

This agreement continues more than two decades of partnership between the City of Oakland and Peralta Hacienda.

With your support, our park has become a trusted community hub where young people and families can learn, find mentorship, and feel a sense of belonging.

Each year we engage hundreds of low-income youth through our environmental and history programs and our award-winning field trips.

These programs are more than activities.

They provide leadership, hands-on learning, and a safe space for youth to build confidence and cultural pride.

We also host cultural celebrations and community events that bring together immigrants, refugees, long-time residents, and families from across Oakland to honor their traditions and stories.

We also operate a weekly community food distribution that serves over 150 families and individuals every Friday.

This effort is carried by our interns, volunteers, neighborhood partners, and elders who come together to support one another.

It's a direct example of how Peralta Hacienda strengthens community bonds and meets and meets real needs in Fruitvale.

Our volunteers and youth interns, many here, um play a major role in promoting environmental equity and maintain and helping maintain the park, cleaning litter and graffiti, removing invasive plants, and keeping the six-acre park safe and cared for.

Well done within your time frame.

Thank you.

I can go.

Oh, so uh good afternoon, council members.

My name is Xavier Beckett, and I'm a youth leader at Peralta Hacienda, uh historical park.

I've been a part of this.

I've been a part of Peralta Hacienda family for about three years now.

I first joined Waterkeepers program when I was a young teenager, and that's where I started learning about our environment and what it means to take care of our community in our earth.

Over the years, I've built really strong relationships with the staff.

They really cared about me, believed in me, and helped me grow my confidence because of their support.

I've been able to step into a leadership role.

Now I get to mentor younger kids and either other teams, and I and I help lead activities during school fieldships.

So on students, what it makes makes our part wait.

So on students what makes our part and our history so special.

I also volunteer every Friday at our community fuel distribution, which has so many how important this park is to many to many families.

Peralta Hacienda has made a huge impact on my life, and I've seen it do the same for other teams I work with.

I hope you'll continue supporting programs and help youth like me grow, find a voice, and give back to our community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, council members.

My name is Carmelita Andrews, and I have been a programs intern at Peralta Hacienda since 2023.

I was 16 when I began as an Ace Camp counselor.

Since then, I have also interned in Welcome to Wildlife, helped with field trips, and volunteered at the Friday food distribution.

Before I started Peralta Hacienda, I was having a really hard time, like mentally.

I was very quiet and I kept to myself.

The staff made me feel comfortable right away, like I could be myself without being judged, and they really became a family to me.

Um over time, they became people I could talk to and trust.

One of my directors, Alyssa especially pushed me to try new things and to not hide in the background.

Because of this program, I've gotten more confident, especially with public speaking and stepping into leadership.

I used to be shy, and now I'm running activities with kids and actually enjoying all the projects and activities we do.

Prota Hacienda has helped me grow in ways I didn't expect, and I hope you continue supporting programs that give young people a chance to feel seen and supported.

Thank you.

Uh hello, council members.

My name is Jai Wen Lee, and I've been involved with Peralta Hacienda for the past three years.

I first joined through Ace Camp, and when I was started, I was incredibly quiet.

I barely spoke to anyone and mostly stayed in my own space.

Over time, the staff at Peralta Haciendo made it easier for me to come out of my shell.

Little by little, I found out I found myself talking with other interns, connecting with kids and feeling more comfortable being part of everything happening at the park.

Also volunteered with the Friday Community Food Program, which has helped me get to know people in the neighborhood and feel like I'm adding something, I'm adding to something meaningful.

I'm hoping to enter with the Welcome to Wildlife program next because I want to keep learning and supporting younger kids in nature.

This uh place has done a lot of a lot for my confidence.

I still get nervous at times, but when I'm here, that nervousness fades away.

And I feel like I can really be myself at Perl.

Uh Peralta Ascender has helped me grow in ways I didn't expect to, and I hope you'll continue supporting programs that'll help young people grow, connect and feel value.

Thank you.

So I've been coming to these meetings for close to 20 years, and there's a pattern.

Certain groups independently come to you and you fund them.

Other nonprofits are part of a pool where you fund them, like Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, kids first.

My question is what's the distinction that makes this group independently able to come whenever they need money?

And the rest of the groups have to get into the pool to be considered.

You do the same thing with your Spanish speaking unity council.

And then when you have on the commitment list, you don't have the African American museum.

And so when that gentleman was saying, you know, everything is equitable and we work together.

No, you don't because I have to come here for 20 years.

I'm 80 years old to keep talking about when are you gonna fairly include African Americans?

So we got some African Americans that came to speak, but the majority of the people who participate in this program are not African Americans.

You know it's not if that's the case, if it's in Fruitvale.

But why over and over and over through the years this group can come to say, give us some money, and everybody else has to apply through a process to get money, and that might not happen.

So I continued and will continue to come here.

Fairness and equity.

You give priorities to certain groups.

The uh my time's up, no, not yet.

The Oakland Zoo, the ice ring, Fairyland, the California Museum.

You give them a lot of consideration.

McClyman's zero.

Who's that our final speaker?

Yes, that concludes all speakers for item three.

I just I do want to say so that the public understands that the city of Oakland owns a lot of real estate, including Fairyland, the museum, and some of the other uh organizations that were just listed by a member of the public, and we have a lot of needs that need to be funded.

And I asked our assistant city administrator if there was someone that could speak to the way that the city allocates resources, um, but we definitely do not have enough resources to go around.

And I also um will do more to bring transparency to how these processes, how these organizations are funded through this committee because this is a life enrichment committee, um, and that's a discussion that we need to have.

And um, I'm sorry, ACA Phillips What did Sorry through the chair.

We do have some staff to your point.

Uh, Chair Fife, there are some properties that we manage and oversee, and this was these were a set of cleanup items that were transferred from OPRYD into EWD, so we had to come back through, but there are certain grants and pots of money that people uh apply for when it's an RFP process, and then there are certain properties that we have that we put in RFP process out so that we have individuals um come and kind of are stewards or they they kind of are like property managers for those assets to your point share.

So there's a couple of different processes, and I'm happy to find uh Mrs.

Ada afterwards and provide a little bit more context.

Thank you for that.

I think the most important thing that I wanted to articulate today and what I was moved by was the comments of all of the youth today.

I really resonate with growing up as a shy individual and being able to find your voice.

So the fact that you all came today and shared your experiences and shared how this program has impacted your life just tells me that we need more programs like this throughout the entire city of Oakland so we can uh nurture more young people like you all.

I'm very impressed, and I appreciate you all for coming out today.

And with that, I will entertain a motion on this item.

Yes, uh Madam Chairperson.

Let me first say that I've known Peralta Center for a lifetime, and certainly know the population and the student body that participates at Peralta Sienda Park.

And that community has taken many steps on their own to not only to reach out to the city for funding, but also reach out to other sources for support.

And certain Oakland Unified is right in their backyard, and many other students come and utilize the historical and the activities are there at Peralta Sienda Park.

And my group, my volume my employees and my own, we clean the area every morning at six in the morning, Monday through Sunday.

We would want to make sure we have a clean, safe environment for our children to use Peralta Sienda Park.

And so I want to congratulate you and thank you for the leadership.

And um, and I'm more than honored uh to make a motion to support the resolution that's before us.

Thank you so much for your leadership, and we'll continue to work together.

Thank you.

Councilmember Houston.

I don't know much about uh Hasi and uh Peralta Hasia, the historical part.

But what I do want to say is I compliment each one of these youngsters that came up here takes a lot of courage to do that.

It takes a lot of courage, and you guys were well spoken.

We need more youngsters like you to to lead our city to sit up here one day or to lead it in any way you want to.

So I compliment.

I'm looking at both all three or four of you.

Um I compliment you guys for getting up there and having the courage.

We need more courage in this city to stand up for this city also.

So thank you.

I appreciate that.

And through the chair, my lights are on.

Can I leave?

Will we still be having a quorum?

Because I want to turn off the lights on my car.

If I go down, is it okay?

We'll have a quorum, yes.

Okay.

Well, you did you want to give a second to this um motion?

Second, and now okay, okay.

Now you can.

Let's vote first.

Okay.

Thank you.

We have a motion made by Councilmember Guyos, seconded by Councilmember Houston to approve the recommendations of stop and to forward this item to the December 16th City Council agenda on consent on roll.

Council Member Guyo.

Aye.

Councilmember Houston.

Aye.

Councilmember Wong.

Aye.

And Chair Five.

Oh, is it on?

Oh.

I thank you.

Item number three passes with four eyes to forward this item to the December 16th City Council Agenda on Consent.

Reading in item four.

Adopt a resolution authorizing the city administrator to accept a gift of in-kind services pursuant to the affiliation agreement with the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professionals to implement nurse-led and public health initiatives to expand health and wellness access, student engagement, and community programming for older older adults at an estimated value of not to exceed 150,000 dollars per year up to three years and two to negotiate and execute any additional agreements agreements required by required to facilitate receipt of the in-kind services, and we do have two speakers that signed up.

Thank you, madam city clerk.

Uh, if you could put seven minutes on the clock, we will have a report by Anna Bactus, and we will go from there.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chair Fife and members of the city council.

My name is Anna Bagtus, Human Services manager at overseeing the aging and adult Services Division.

I'm here to present item four, the addendum to the existing affiliation agreement between the city and the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions.

We're seeking the committee's approval to move this item forward to the city council for their approval on consent.

A quick overview of this item.

On September 11, 2025, so just a few months ago, the city through the Human Services Department entered into an affiliation agreement with USF to engage in program development as well as planning to identify strategies to address the health, safety, social connection, and well-being of Oakland residents who are aging and also older adults.

Advised by the city attorney's office at the time, when we identify specific projects, we need to come back and seek approval from city council and present what these projects are and disclose whatever monetary value that the project brings.

This addendum formerly outlines the implementation of two initiatives, the nurse-led initiative and the public health initiative in the city of Oakland.

And these came out of discussions and planning with the Mayor's Commission on Aging, the Advisory Councils of the Senior Centers, and Aging and Adult Services staff.

In addition, this is in response to the service gaps and priorities that we identified from the needs assessment we conducted this year, 2025, with the Mayor's Commission on Aging and the Aging and Adult Services Division to update the World Health Organization age-friendly Oakland Strategic Plan.

Under this addendum, the city and USF will lead the implementation of the initiatives I mentioned, and also authorizes the placement of USF students that includes Bachelors of Science in Nursing students, Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Public Health students across senior centers and other community sites through our partnership with community-based services.

Sample projects includes health screenings, food care, false prevention, nutrition education.

We can also provide some of these services and programs through broadcasting so that so you know older adults who are no longer able to come to the center can still take advantage of the services and educational programming that will be offered.

It also encourages workforce to focus on older adults in geriatric care through the students that are going to be placed.

So it really is placing these students in health education to work with older adult populations.

Lastly, the program will be evaluated using tools that will be developed alongside the public health nurses and the master in public health students that will have specific metrics and we will come back to report on the outcomes of these projects quarterly to the Mayor's Commission on Aging and the Mayor's Commission on Aging can come back to you, City Council, and report as part of their annual report.

So this project scope will include 140 104,000 in this first year up to 150,000 annually in in-kind support from the placement of the students with no general fund expenditure.

By approving this resolution, you are essentially supporting broadening access to preventive health and wellness services for older adults, and it also strengthens community safety and trust aligned with the World Health Organization Age-Friendly Oakland priorities.

Thank you for your consideration, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you for your presentation.

Are there any questions?

Councilmember Wong.

Hi, thank you to the chair.

Um, I just want to commend you and your department for pursuing this effort.

Uh, looks like this is something that will uh clearly benefit the students in their education, but also benefit the seniors in our community.

I was also struck by the graph that you put into the report around um the population growth rate that we're experiencing.

So um, yeah, this is this is wonderful work.

Thank you for doing that.

I don't know.

Was it your idea?

Okay, that's wonderful.

And thank you for doing that.

And uh I motion to approve staff's recommendation.

Thank you, council member.

Is there a second?

We'll hear from the public speakers.

Thank you.

Calling in the names that signed up for item number four, Mrs.

Sada Olabala and Mr.

Samuel Raimi.

So um, I know when I was getting ready to teach, we went through practical teaching.

That's when you go out and practice teach.

So this is opportunity for students who are pursuing health fields to practice their skills.

So, but that's very limited because I heard you say uh they will do health screening, and uh will they be in the areas we we most need?

So for seniors, we're talking about high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, vision, and dental.

So, are those areas being covered?

Then uh as it relates to seniors in our homeless community, fifty 51% of our homeless community are seniors.

So, do we have a plan to have inclusion of our homeless community as a part of this?

And by the numbers, what number of seniors are you projecting that will be covered with this initiative?

Uh and I you've identified certain areas, senior centers, but what's the number?

Those are my concerns.

Good afternoon, good evening, Mr.

Citizen Oakland.

Um we have a misunderstanding in this country.

Now they say to be a nurse, you don't need to go to school.

You don't need that.

You'd be a nurse.

I want you to be a professional to take care of me.

My body, I want you to know what you're doing.

We have a mix of systems and people in this country is confused about what you just supposed to do.

They come first.

The children, all folks come first.

They need to be educated so they can be along get along in society.

That's what's wrong with them now.

They're not educated, crazy.

They can't read.

It's sad.

And you want to know why they're doing what they're doing.

It's the leadership, the parent, we just dig in all of them, has to do with society.

When are we gonna do right by the American people?

And you guys do everything for everybody else.

How long?

How long?

I'll be here.

35 years.

This guy's changed.

Y'all need to get to bring the the pie here and sit down and cut it up and see where the money goes.

So we just should write.

Too much money to see you local.

You want to see the new world.

Y'all even know it.

Yes.

Poor open.

Um shouldn't be like this.

I grew up here.

I was really council high school.

It wasn't like this.

We were poor again.

No, money, it's like this.

Come on, y'all.

It's wrong.

It's only been like just 20 years, before you're beautiful.

Thank you for your comments, Mr.

Raimi.

Chair, that concludes all speakers on item four.

Well, I do want to give an opportunity to um Anna Bactus to say a few more words about some of the things that we heard from the public.

So you have the floor.

Thank you.

Thank you to the chair.

Um, the the comment made about what specific specific programs and services would be provided under this agreement.

Um, those are informed by the community, including the needs assessment we conducted, so some of the chronic conditions mentioned diabetes, hypertension, those are gonna be prioritized.

The school of Nursing has because it's a university, big university, also has access to other resources from other departments within the school.

So they want to bring in art therapy, for instance, in partnership with the art um our the arts department at the university.

And last week the commission on aging also voted to um to also uh have three committees as part of the to support this project, health and wellness, transportation, and safety and violence prevention.

So the mayor's commission on aging put the board out there for community members to help develop and continue to have input in these projects by joining one of these committees.

So we will be reaching out there as well for uh input from the community members.

Thank you for sharing that.

Um and it I don't want the public to get any uh ideas that this is something that I'm going to entertain moving forward.

I do believe that is a relevant question.

Um, Miss Bectus, if you could respond.

I will not do this again to the public.

Thank you to the chair.

To the chair.

Um, this is part of a larger initiative.

Actually, we're bringing Cal AIM as well in into the fold, which has case management component.

So these were all tied together, and what we're trying to build is um a more comprehensive look at the health and wellness of our population and tapping into resources that are in existence, including pursuing funding sources where we can really move the needle from identifying the needs all the way to actual intervention.

Um, so these are all part of the discussion that we're having in the planning of of these initiatives and also in the implementation phase.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

And with that comment, I council member Houston, did you want to just wanted to share one thing through the chair?

Um, how are you gonna interact with um our favorite and I shouldn't say senior center in East Oakland?

How you know, because we all love this a bunch of them out there.

So, how we're gonna interact with that.

Um, the part of the initial before we developed the affiliation agreement, actually, we had a full day retreat at USF at their beautiful campus, and the advisory councils from each of the senior centers participated, including advisory council members from District 7, the East Oakland Community, East Oakland Senior Center, and uh we had a wonderful full day session, and that's how we came up with some of these programs that we want to implement here in Oakland, and they will continue to be a part of the discussion as well as the planning moving forward.

Thank you.

Yeah, and I believe we have a motion and a second on the floor.

Thank you.

We have a motion made by Councilmember Wong and seconded by Council Member Guile to approve the recommendations of staff and to forward this item to the December 16th City Council agenda on consent on roll.

Council members guile.

Houston?

Aye.

Wong?

Aye, and Chair Five.

Aye.

Thank you.

Item number four passes with four eyes to forward this item to the December 16th City Council agenda on consent.

Reading in item five, receive an informational report summarizing services and general information for the early childhood and family services division, including the head start program.

And we do have three speakers that signed up.

Okay, if we could have staff come to the podium for the presentation, thank you.

Oh, well, hello.

Hello, good to be here, and I'm not fussing.

Ah.

Well, it is a pleasure.

I'm trying to see how much time we need to put on the clock, 15 minutes.

Because we're I'd actually, if it's okay, I'd like to ask for um a favor.

Can we have Ms.

Tamika Usher go first with the financial report because she does have to leave at five?

Absolutely.

Make sure you get that important part.

Absolutely.

We'll start with our financial report.

Thank you.

I just also to the chair, just wanted to offer that we had a PowerPoint presentation prepared.

And if we could forward to the human resources section, that's where Miss Tamika Usher can pick up.

Thank you.

Do you have a slide number for when that slide to give to Kate Hop?

I do not at the moment.

But I want to also say that Miss Tamika Usher is online.

It's slide number 15, page 15.

And I believe Miss Usher is online, and you can get started.

Thank you.

Can you all hear me?

Yes, we can.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Good evening, Chair and fellow committee members.

Thank you for the opportunity to present a brief summary on the total compensation study that was completed by Usher for HR Consulting.

As communicated from the City of Oakland, the goal in the study was to evaluate how competitive the City of Oakland specifically some Head Start classification salaries are compared to a labor market that was identified by Head Start staff.

We reviewed in the scope of the study eight specific benchmark classifications and analyzed their pay and selected benefits across eight labor market agencies that were also identified by Oakland.

When we initially started the survey, we surveyed seven primary labor market agencies and then given some of the challenging data collection, an additional eighth agency was added, which conclude the eight labor market agencies that we compared against.

All of the data that is included in the study is reflective of salaries and benefits based on March 2024.

Louis later went back and updated the data for the agencies based on July 1st, 2024.

I want to give a little overview of the methodology.

For consistency, we use the statistical data point when doing the analysis of the mean, which is also referred to as the average, and comparing the labor market agency's salaries against the City of Oakland salaries for those selected head start classifications.

When many of the labor market agencies included school districts as well as nonprofits, and they don't always, as you all are probably familiar, offer the same benefits or have the same level of information online, or are we willing to participate in the data collection effort to do the comparison?

So we did the best we could to collect as much data as possible to try to do an analysis of how the City of Oakland is paying those particular head start classifications relative to the labor market.

On average, the findings suggest that the City of Oakland salaries for those specific Head Start classifications that were selected is on average about 13.54% below the labor market means.

So what that means is when you look at all of the class all of the salaries for the classifications that were selected, those salaries on average are about 13 and a half percent below the average of the salaries for the labor market agencies.

This gap, of course, reflects sustained and measurable, creates competitiveness in the market when you're looking at filling head start positions and being competitive in the market because as of the 24 data, 2024 data suggests your salaries are on average lagging what your other labor market agencies are paying.

When thinking about next steps in terms of what do we go from here, obviously we're approaching 2026, and so the data is somewhat age.

But I encourage you all to think of how do we move forward in having a competitive market for those Head Start classifications in order to attract and also retain talent.

And looking at that, considerations have to be given to the City of Oakland's compensation philosophy.

There's certainly labor relations strategies as these classifications are represented by labor.

Can never ignore fiscal capacity and fiscal sustainability to make such suggestions.

Recruitment and retention has to be a priority, especially in the market because it's so competitive.

And then Head Start is facing some parity salary requirements that are dictated by the federal government that you all are going to have to meet, and how you do that in a strategic, fiscally sustainable way, is some important considerations that are reflected in the narrative report provided to the city of Oakland.

So, in closing, the study provides the city with accurate comparison data as of 2024 based on the market.

It does not prescribe an action plan.

It does give the leadership the information needed to evaluate the competitiveness to serve to address recruitment and retention challenges and determine a path forward that is the most fiscally responsible path to be able to compensate these Head Start classifications and the subsequent Head Start classifications that were not included while also considering overall fiscal strategies within the city of Oakland.

So that concludes my high-level overview.

More than happy to answer any questions.

Thank you for that presentation.

We'll go into the are the both of you presenting today.

Just one.

Okay.

So we'll go ahead and take your presentation now.

Thank you.

No, I'll just go straight into it.

Um we do have other slides in the PowerPoint that free to review, but we have so much to present, so I'll just do the written report that I have.

And if you have any questions from the PowerPoint, feel free to ask.

Again, it's a blessing to be here without fussing and being able to champion our successes for this year.

Thank you for the opportunity to share key updates and milestones from the early childhood and family services division, including the City of Oakland Head Start Program.

We are pleased to report that this year our program achieved the strongest federal review outcome in more than a decade.

During our week-long focus area to review, an intensive visit from multiple federal reviewers, we earn non-competitive renewal status, meaning our program is not required to recompete for federal funding.

Even more historic, we receive six strong practices designations, a precedent setting achievement for Oakland and a testament to the excellence of our children, families, workforce, and leadership team.

This is a rare accomplishment nationally.

This outcome fulfills the directive City Council set for us years ago to improve, stabilize, and future-proof this program.

Receiving six or more strong practices designations in a Head Start federal review is again extremely rare and signifies a program operating at the highest level of quality.

Most programs excel in some areas, but very few demonstrate our strong performance across all key components.

Achieving this level of distinction reflects a top-tier program and a national model of excellence in child development, family support, and program operations.

Just this morning, the National League of Cities Early Learning Nation solution session affirmed our work as a national model, highlighting our long-term cross-system fiscal savings, and our critical role in preventing pathways into the cradle to carceral system.

Financially, we have strengthened our foundation.

We increased our state infant and toddler funding from a hundred and fifty thousand dollar grant to more than three million dollars.

We've expanded services for our youngest learners and their families.

We also secured budgetary support that brings our annual program budget, and correct me if I'm wrong, to almost 17 million dollars, representing nearly 70 million dollars over five years, ensuring stability, program quality, and continuity of services across all sites.

While our progress is significant, our challenge our challenges remain urgent.

First, our biggest obstacle continues to be internal.

The constant need to advocate for our program within the city structure.

Early childhood education requires city champions, a clear vanguard committed to protecting and advancing the work we do on behalf of Oakland's families.

Second, staffing remains a critical barrier.

Salaries, bonuses, hiring timelines, and onboarding processes across the city create delays so severe that we lose qualified candidates.

Given our program size, scope, and multi-million dollar budget, we need dedicated HR support to ensure timely recruitment, retention, and onboarding.

Third, our facilities reflect long-standing inequities.

We consistently receive what is left over.

Yet our children, our families, and our dedicated workforce deserve environments that match their promise, their brilliance, and the futures we are preparing them for.

Safe, modern, developmentally appropriate facilities are not luxuries.

They are not nice to have.

They are the foundation of quality early learning.

In closing, our program has demonstrated that when supported, we achieve at the highest levels federally, financially, and operationally.

We ask for your continued partnership and advocacy to ensure that the City of Oakland Head Start program remains the strong, stable, and worthy program of the children and families we serve here in the town, because this is town business, and I thank you for your time and your commitment.

Thank you for that presentation.

In closing, to the chair, I just wanted to share that the annual report that our parent policy council chair, Tonya Scott Smith provided is a requirement for the Head Start program to the council.

It is normally jointly provided by the Parent Policy Council and the Advisory Board, and so uh our chair is representing both parts of the group of our governing body.

Thank you for the presentation and thank you for your commitment to Oakland's children, all of uh our presenters today.

I will entertain any questions, initial questions from the committee, and then we'll go to our public speakers.

Councilmember Guile.

Yes, yes, thank you for that information.

Can you share with us what is the population in Oakland when we talk about Head Start students or children?

What is the number we're talking about?

Do you mean the number that we're currently serving or the number of children who are in our population?

Well, both.

You know what is Oakland's population and what age group are we talking about, and secondly, what is what is currently Oakland, the numbers that Oakland serve.

Um I'm gonna ask our staff to pull up the census information behind me because of course I don't know that by heart while I'm answering other parts of the question.

We serve, I like to say, from conception to kindergarten.

So from the moment you conceive and know you're pregnant, you are eligible to participate in the early head start, Head Start program.

And if somebody Ms.

Trisha, okay, Miss Trisha, doc.

Excuse me, Dr.

Trisha Barua will give you the census information.

Um actually uh we have some slides prepared uh with demographic information.

Um my name is Trisha Burrow.

I'm the program planner for City of Oakland Head Start.

Oh, how do I guess this?

I don't know.

K Top, can you uh share the slides that?

Yes, there we go.

Um, so our uh we can so the data here, it's from this previous program year.

Uh for Office of Head Start, we need to submit annually a program information report, which uh primarily consists of enrollment information and demographics and uh uh data on services provided.

Um the data that we have here also includes the three Oakland children's initiative funded sites using the same process we use for the federal PIR.

Um so that's just a bit of context, and let me go to the next slide.

There we go.

Um so council member Gaio, the question you asked who does our program, what age group does our program primarily serve.

Um here you can see that two-year-olds are the largest age group served by early childhood and family services.

Over one third of our children are two years old.

And the uh remaining age groups under one year old, one year old three, four, um those are uh you know between 12 and 20 percent.

And we don't serve uh even though five-year-old children are eligible for our program, um they the families opt to send them to kindergarten.

So we don't have five years old, five year old children in our program.

Okay, I mean, I'm happy to walk through all this data if if it's helpful for you.

It goes beyond some of the demographic questions.

Um this slide, this uh pie chart uh details uh the how um families become eligible for early childhood and family uh services.

Um public assistance, so SNAP, TANF, SSI, that's the primary white families become eligible for our program, followed by homelessness status, um, and then uh income below the federal poverty line.

So 23% are homeless.

Yes.

It's children that were serving.

And 54% is what number now?

What is that represent?

Sorry, can you repeat that, please?

The 54% public assistance.

So that uh represents uh the percentage of families that show they're eligible for the program by their public assistance uh documentation.

So for example, a family enrolling via SNAP shows their EBT card.

Um so these are the ways, so many many of these families might intersect, and we get from a lived experience, they might intersect across many of these categories, but for all of our families enroll through one means of eligibility.

So this chart shows the means they choose to enroll.

Okay.

Thank you.

Well, did you have some?

You want to share that?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, we we have uh maybe a couple more slides after this.

I'm happy to uh talk there because I think it gives more context.

Um, so as you see here, this is a uh a slide on the racial and ethnic demographics of our participants and our teaching staff.

And as you can see, the demographics closely mirror each other for Hispanic, and we're we're using the uh federal federal racial ethnic categories here.

Hispanic and black or African American, it's just a less than five percent difference between participants and staff in terms of proportion and the program.

Uh the only uh group that has a uh maybe significant difference is uh Asian students and participants.

There are more teaching staff who are of Asian descent or Asian ethnicity in comparison to uh the enrollment of children.

Uh this is a slide on the primary languages of participants and teaching staff.

It's set up in the same way so you can compare.

Uh, English and Spanish are the primary languages uh for or have the highest number of um speakers between both participants and teaching staff.

Uh again, there's a close parallel there in terms of proportion.

Um the notable difference here is with uh East Asian languages.

There's a higher proportion of East Asian language speaking staff in comparison to participants, and then if you can see closer to the right, that 7% of Native Central American, I think Latin American Mexican languages, that 7% represents our mom's mom speaking participants, and we don't have teaching staff relative, or we don't have mom speaking teaching staff.

Uh oh, is that it?

That might up.

Oh, this is how do I can we go back to that last slide, please?

Okay, there we go.

So this is a really informative slide.

It's not based on our program information report data, but just uh our data on our three program options by race and ethnicity.

Oftentimes when we speak of Head Start or early childhood services, family services, we have our centers in mind.

Different demographic groups have uh clear preferences when it comes to the program options that are the best fit for them.

Um black families uh come to Head Start or early childhood family services predominantly with the uh intensified child care.

So center-based and family child care program options have uh between 35 and 40% enrollment of black families uh across the program.

Um Hispanic, Latino families prefer home-based and family child care options, though as you can see, they are um that's the largest uh racial demographic group we have.

So they are about a third of our center based um enrollment as well, and um Asian families have a preference for home-based and center-based options rather than family child care.

Um, I wanna note that um the the uh the families or the the white demographic group that is also inclusive of um Arab and Middle Eastern um families, just so you have a little bit more context there.

I think that is it in terms of our.

I'm sorry, could you repeat that part?

Oh, so um when it comes to uh official or rate or like federal census, racial ethnic categories, um, people who are of Arab or Middle Eastern descent, they're categorized as white.

So that is reflected here.

So when you see uh like three, four or five percent white families, um, it is helpful to bear in mind that those families are for the most part Arab Middle Eastern families.

What role does Oakland Unified School District play in your development?

Um could you uh clarify your question a little bit more, please?

Well, no, you know, it's it used to be that we prepare children to go to kindergarten, and we were within the schools providing the discipline to be on time, to be there, learn how to work together, but I'm not quite sure considering we're Oakland Unified is today, what is the role?

Because a good number of our facilities in the past were within Oakland public schools, so I don't know what it's like now.

Well, if I could change hats and instead of speaking as chair of the Head Start PPC and now speak as a member of one of the OUSD SSEs, um my experience has been in speaking with staff, they actually prefer children who have been in Head Start.

Um, it's been very positive that our children come more prepared.

Um several teachers have said to me, as well as administrators that they prefer our students to their own preschool students because we prepare them more.

They reach more benchmarks.

Our curriculum is more, I don't want to say stringent, but I would say more evolved and more catered to meeting the needs of the children and preparing them for school.

And a lot of the students, a lot of the teachers and parents are prefer that they are in Head Start first.

And as a former teacher myself, I actually preferred head the Head Start students because they came more ready.

And we were able to just go in and teach, and there was less remediation that had to occur.

Thank you.

Hello, Head Start Program Director and Early Childhood and Family Services Manager Devina Copen.

Through the chair, the OUSD partnership also includes coordination with their family services with our family services team and our teachers.

When children are moving into the kindergarten or transition role, there is a survey that OUSD sends out that our staff complete around each child that's going into an OUSD site, and it allows them an understanding across categories that they are looking at in terms of where the child's development is at.

And so there's an interaction that happens between the school district receiving the children and ourselves and our teaching staff.

In addition to that, there's partnerships around visits around the application system towards OUSD schools.

So each family is assigned a family services specialist, and that specialist works with each family around the process of applications into OUSD in terms of visits to their open school days, in terms of the lottery process.

They also invite schools over to the centers for sessions to learn about the different schools within their neighborhoods or that they're interested in.

So they're supported through that process of application as well into OUSD.

And then the education team and family service team also supports the families in that transition into kindergarten itself so that they're ready when they go in and they're able to advocate for the child and support their child throughout their journey as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Guile.

Council Member Houston and then Councilmember Wong.

Yeah, just do the chair.

What is PIR?

Said P I R and also can you explain center based, home base, and it was another base.

I don't know what those bases are.

Yes.

So PIR is a program information report.

It's an annual report that's required from the Office of Head Start.

So that information is specifically about Head Start-funded locations and slots.

And it's a pretty extensive one, and it's done for early Head Start, your zero to three, and then it's done for the three to five for Head Start as separate entities because the funding comes in in those separate buckets.

That information is used to justify programming to Congress.

And so the information that we provide is gathered nationally, regionally, and then presented at Congress around how the program is doing and where the funding is going to.

In terms of center-based, home-based, family child care provider, these are the types of program options that we provide and home-based.

So one of our objectives within our direct service programming is to provide parents with as much choice as possible so that we're able to meet the varied needs that parents have.

So we don't approach it from a one size fits all.

Different families have different needs when it comes to their child's development.

So the center-based is a drop-off location.

You come in, you sign your child in, you come back at the end of the day, you sign your child out.

It's eight hours of service, and we have three locations that also provide 10 hours of service, which is very popular as you can imagine with working families.

And that's been a new introduction with the funding we received from Department of Social Services.

The family child care provider is also a new introduction.

This is through our partner Bananas, and we connect with family child care providers across Oakland, where we essentially are purchasing slots for families and in their family child care location in their homes.

We also then provide the wraparound services from our staff and all of the resources that go through with the Head Start program.

This allows even more flexibility if families have night shifts, if they have weekend hours, or if they just want to drop a child off in their neighborhood and they prefer a smaller environment.

The next option is home-based.

This is rarely popular with families who do not want to drop their child off anywhere, but they do want the developmental services and support, and they come in and do socializations.

So an example actually of one of the popular socializations is at Ira Jenkins, where there's an entire day's event of different educational activities, resources, and then swimming lessons with the families.

But throughout they have home visits.

We go to the family's home, we work with the child, and then we also work with the family in terms of building their skill sets and helping them achieve their goals as well.

We're going to be introducing a new model, which is family-friend and neighbor, where we're able to support family friend and neighbors providing services with professional development, the same wraparound services and the same sort of resources that we do.

And our hope is that this serves as an incubator option as well for family friend and neighbors wanting to become family child care providers.

So program-based.

You didn't say program-based.

Home-based.

Yeah, you had center based home-based, you had the third family child care provider.

Oh, it's a program, okay.

Home-based program.

Is that it?

Oh, yes.

So it's the program options are three.

And within the home-based, I should add is two models that Chair Scott Smith mentioned, which is the expectant families, where we're working with uh pregnant moms, and then the zero to five once from newborn to five.

Last question to the chair, and I'm good.

Um, unhouse individuals.

Do you go to the encampments to do this when it says because you said center base, you drop off location or home base?

How do you work?

Because it said how many is it 20%?

Yeah.

Yes, we have a large.

So the thing to remember is that within Head Start, we use the McNeivento definition of homelessness.

So it's not necess, it's not only unsheltered, it's a combination of unsheltered and no stable housing.

So if you're couch surfing, if you're sharing a home that you don't have legal rights over, that you have a space within that your family's living in, all of that falls into the homeless category.

And through the chair, what was the time frame from what time a.m.

to p.m.

what's that time frame?

So for the eight-hour, it starts at 8:30.

And then let's see if anybody knows the 10-hour 7.30.

I would assume it's 7.30 or 6.45, or I'll get the specific times for you.

We modified a few times by location, depending on what the need is.

So we try to to address what families needs are.

So one thing within the homeless model I would also mention is that Oakland is quite unique in that in that we have a mobile classroom.

So with uh COVID funding that was provided by the Office of Head Start, we renovated an RV.

Um that now is part of the home-based program that we are using to target where families where we can't go into their home necessarily to do a home visit because of whatever the housing circumstances are.

We have this vehicle where we can do the sessions inside, we can do health screenings, vision, growth, all those elements that we provide within our service.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um Council Member Wang.

Thank you.

Um, so this is a comprehensive report.

I appreciate it.

Um, there's a lot to digest in here.

A couple of things that I'm alarmed by with uh the salary gap, especially because of the compliance requirements with what is at risk if we don't meet the competitive requirements that you detailed in the report.

Do we lose the funding?

Um, yes, so the requirement is by 2031 that our salaries will match the school districts within which we are serving families.

There's a lot of, you know, sort of different levels of criteria within that, but yes, it does become a compliance measure that we're not able to meet.

The very immediate effect that we have is that while we're a popular place where teachers want to work, we're not competitive enough, and right now with this shortage, it's a very, very competitive environment.

So we're competing with all the partners around the entire East Bay for teachers.

So the moment someone applies, you know, they're simultaneously applying and being interviewed at three or four other locations at the same time.

As a result, with our situation right now is that we have a lot of vacancies, and part of those vacancies are also linked.

We based on the study, we would assume that part of those vacancies are linked to the salary offerings that our competitors are able to offer, as well as things like sign-on bonuses, longevity pay, a whole range of perks.

Right.

And is the requirement uh is the federal compliance requirement that we need to basically offer the market mean that was in the comparison tables?

Uh no, actually, it's uh it's even more uh of a requirement.

It's that we are able to compare with salaries at the school district.

Okay, so it's actually the gap is actually higher.

Right.

If you just look at, and and we'd need the the specialist consultant to confirm, because from what she said it was based off the overall averages, uh, but if it was just a comparison between OUSD and the city of Oakland, I think it's one of the charts on the compensation study report that was an attachment to the report, where you'll see a table that's just the OUSD and the City of Oakland comparison in salaries.

Okay.

Do you have a sense of how much it would cost uh for us to meet that those compliance requirements?

No, we do not have that at the moment, and part of it is because we are in a situation where if we are not able to meet 97% enrollment, then we are also in danger of being able to lose some of the federal funds.

So part of what the federal government offered us to do and encouraged many programs across the country to do is to submit a change in scope that allowed you to reflect funded slots that's closer to what actual enrollment is now based on the teaching staff we do have, and use the salary savings from those changes to put towards increases to attract staff.

So they have allowed for that, and so we do have an application that has gone through that we're waiting to hear a response to.

So that would serve the immediate uh avoidance of loss of funds.

But in terms of, so from that point, we would need to then calculate going forward for compliance for the 2031 goal.

So that would be a different amount, but we can only do that once the change in scope is approved and we see what the final award is from the Office of Head Start.

Okay.

And do you all have information at a center-based level in terms of the quality of the programming being offered?

Yes, we do.

So, in addition to the federal review that Chair Scott Smith referenced, we also underwent a class federal review.

So similarly, it's it's this week long, or in this case, it was uh over a course of a whole month where they observe teacher-child interactions, and it's a research-based model class that they use across the board that the state has also included in their measures.

So when we're also reviewed by state, we're also using the same tool.

And so within the state measures, we're always in the fours or fives, which the five is the highest.

And within the Office of Head Start Review, we passed that review.

We met all of the competitive thresholds, and on some we were close to the quality threshold.

So those are very high levels that they want you to work towards and achieve.

Okay, so each of our centers made it to the four-star.

Okay, yes, that's good.

I and part of the reason I bring that up is I had an interesting conversation with director uh Barrick, who represents uh not only Oakland, but a couple of other jurisdictions, I believe, at the Alameda County um Office of Education.

And I was asking him about the role of the county in headed start, and he actually noted that um in other jurisdictions, he just made it clear there's actually opportunities that we could improve the quality of our Head Start programs in Oakland by integrating our programs better with the county's behavioral health services because these families need more wraparound services than they're currently getting.

And I just thought it was an interesting insight that you know that that was one conversation, but I think it's worth exploring since these families obviously deserve the best.

Right.

And definitely I would say we there's always room in any program for continuous quality improvement.

And there's an entire section within Head Start that's focused on continuous quality improvement.

So we're always setting goals that we're looking to move towards.

But in terms of our behavioral specialist work, we actually are doing really well on that front.

One thing I will alert you to is we are not the only head start within Oakland.

So often that's misunderstood in terms of how it presents.

There are four grantees within the city of Oakland who receive Head Start grants.

We're the largest, but we are not the only entity.

But we would be very happy to present or provide you with more detailed infation on the services we provide.

We have mental health services, we have a mental health coordinator, we have disability and inclusion services, we work with partners and communities around that work, and most of our work is very individualized.

That's a core part of the model.

So while we provide services across the board in, you know, this sort of required format, the other requirement is that every individual child and family has an individualized plan towards their needs and their goals, which includes the behavioral services.

We do also partner with uh Alameda County Public Health.

We have a lot of other partnerships.

Samuel Nurse uh Samuel Merritt Nursing University, so there's an extensive La Clinica de la Raza, just across the board, a lot of different community partners, and but there's always room and opportunity for more partnership as well and more services.

One other piece that I will add is the need and demand is much higher than the slots available in Oakland across the board in any of the program options.

So if you look at subsidized families that qualify for subsidized care, in the zero to three, it's about 90% unmet need or thereabouts in the three to five, it's about 76% unmet need.

And these are all families who already qualify, would qualify for services.

Okay, thank you for clarifying that.

And thank you for those questions.

We still have to hear from our public speakers.

So, madam city clerk, if you can call them in.

Calling in the names that signed up for item number five, Mrs.

Olabala, David Boatwright, and Blair Beekman.

David Boatwright, District 4.

Uh, before I heard your presentation, I read the report, and I was impressed.

It's one of the best written reports that I've seen, and all the reports I've read from the city.

When I heard your presentation, and I'm gonna use a word I hardly ever use.

I'm excited to hear what happens with these kids when they're compared to their non-program peers when they get older.

I think you all that would do yourself a great service to try to find a way to track these these kids and see how well they do because they ought to do a lot better from what you presented.

Great, great job.

Thank you.

So, when I started um coming to these meetings, I was a strong advocate for Head Start as a former teacher.

I know the value of early intervention and how important it is.

But some things have happened that has taken me away from supporting Head Start in this city.

So when you look at the financials, one of the things that I keep seeing is uh travel and the amount of money that they're spending on travel.

This report is 42,750,000, and then they have other eight hundred and eleven thousand dollars.

I don't know what that is, but every report where they have other is a substantial amount of money, and travel is also.

Then you have a document that was provided from the SEIU 10021 representative on some of the issues they're having with Head Start.

There is widespread uncertainty and frustration among staff and parents due to poor communication from leadership.

Many staff feel they have been disregarded or mistreated by management over a long period of time.

Concerns were raised about the lack of inclusion of staff voices and decision making.

In addition to low pay staff are also concerned, and I'm gonna go on and on.

But there are concerns from the SE IC.

Then we got lawsuits.

Staff has filed lawsuits against uh the uh, I don't know who they're filing against.

Then you got a bunch of black parents coming to meet and saying uh black people are not being treated the same or fairly, blacks are not being hired.

Now I didn't make this up.

I'm sitting in the room listening, they didn't come one time, but they're saying, oh, they're lying.

Then I hear that this lady is fired, then they bring her back.

So I'm sorry, I can't fully support uh this Head Start program until we get some things cleared up.

Thank you for your comments.

Yeah, thank you for your comments.

That concludes all speakers on this item.

Thank you.

And I I believe we've we've exhausted the conversation on the day.

So I do want to give an opportunity to our staff and volunteers to provide further clarification on some of the comments around travel and budget and and other things.

Yes, I can speak to that, and I think it may not have been in your existing packet, but it's likely in the agenda packet.

So it's what's presented at our monthly governing body meetings.

So we have a policy council meeting every third Tuesday of the month, and in advisory board meeting every Thursday of the month, it's public, both the public.

We really encourage attendance and engagement at those meetings.

Um travel is actually a line item required by the Office of Head Start.

Other is also a category offered by the off uh required by the Office of Head Start.

So within our grant from Head Start, the brackets in which you receive money is Head Start, early Head Start, training and technical assistance.

And there are separate buckets of money that you use for those very specific purposes.

So there's an expectation within the Office of Head Start that staff will attend conferences, that they will attend professional development.

This is a core component of the development and education program that we have.

So within that context, they also assign travel for those purposes.

So it is a specific budget within those categories.

So when they review our application, they're reviewing the application against others to make sure it is a reasonable amount and an allowable amount.

So when we get our notice of award, that means it has been allowable.

And so we are we are using the funds to the terms that are set out and meeting the requirements of the grant.

It is unusual for a lot of programs that that's specified, so we do often get that question.

Is the travel regional for um region nine, or is it no?

It could be so, for example, the office of well in the past.

We always uh we're in a new phase where we're learning each month what the criteria will be now.

But in the past, the Office of Head Start would participate in National Head Start Association conferences.

They'd link up with Region 9 association conferences.

Um, so they there's different national bodies.

So they would attend and they'd expect you to join.

But the local ones, they have teacher conferences, it's a whole range.

There's family services, there's education, there's directors, there's manager academies.

It's just in a very expansive range.

There's fiscal trainings they expect you to attend.

So it's across the board.

So there are their trainings that you're expected to attend as a per participant with this federal program that requires travel.

Well, it allows for it.

And it's pre-budgeted.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah.

I see.

Um I just have two questions.

So I and I want to definitely move the agenda forward.

Um we've heard from our public speakers, we've heard from this body.

My two questions, because this is an ever-changing and dynamic federal environment that is clearly attacking low-income people and Head Start specifically.

Um what is the expectation of the city's contribution to Head Start if our funding from the federal government continues to be under attack?

I will say that right now we have secured all of our funding for this current year.

We are coming to a new five-year application, and in normal terms, it's non-competitive.

We would get the normal five-year cycle.

We're waiting to see with the January applicants what happens.

So that will be our first indication.

So we are July, so that's not us.

November was the group that got hit during the shutdown.

So we saw many of those agencies struggle in that federal shutdown.

The next group that is post-shutdown but with some changes and amendments from the Office of Head Start is January.

So that will give us all an indication of what might be coming, and that'll give us a better sense at that point of what we're going to have to deal with.

But right now we have all of our funding.

Outstanding.

My other question, and you know I've brought this up many times since I've been sitting in this body, is how do we, especially with the uh deadline coming up of, I believe it was 2031.

How do we attract staff if we are not increasing and have the budget to consistently increase the salaries that we're paying people?

How do we do that?

So we reached out to the human resources department because we anticipated that question.

Um and so we did re response from them that we would be able to share and then but it's just a starting point in the conversation.

Um, and it says from a practical standpoint, the department would work with human resource management to determine what changes may be necessary to existing salary rates.

But note there would be a trickle-up effect where increasing lower-level rates is most likely to push salaries up the rest of the classifications that supervise these positions and therefore all along the chain.

So costing would require budgets involvement.

It would need to look at how the costs would be increased across all FTEs, and it says city administration and city council authority would be required for this action.

Um it is possible that salary issues may be addressed during contract negotiations, which begin in 2026, because that's the other avenue in which salary is negotiated with one-year contract extension for the miscellaneous union expires on June 30th, 2026.

So that's just there's more, but that's the brief summary.

Understood.

Um I just I also as a former early childhood education provider and a credential teacher for K 8.

I deeply understand the importance of these services to our young people, and I've heard uh young people say that I was benefited by these programs, and I I know that they're important to continue.

We've heard the speaker, I would love to see a longitudinal study of of young people who've gone through Head Start uh to see how being a part of these programs has impacted their life.

But um I I'm I'm deeply concerned about funding, and I I wonder if measure C dollars from the county could be applicable in some way.

Um we can get into that, that's not in the scope of this conversation, but it's definitely something I want to pay attention to as a chair of life in Richmond.

Um at this point, I will entertain a motion and thank you for your time.

Thank you for your work, thank you for your commitment and dedication to our babies, and um I'll entertain a motion to receive and file this uh in committee.

Uh motion to receive the informational report.

And yes, move approved.

Okay.

Thank you.

We have a motion made by Councilmember Guyos, seconded by Councilmember Wong to receive and file this informational report in committee on roll.

Council members guy.

Houston.

Wong?

Aye.

And Chair Five.

Aye.

Thank you.

Item number five passes with four eyes to receive and file this informational report in committee.

Moving on to open forum.

We do have four members that signed up to speak in no particular order.

You can come up to the podium or raise your hand on Zoom.

Mr.

Sada Olabala, Reverend Tania M.

Scott Smith, Samuel Raimi, and Blair Beekman.

Good afternoon.

First, I want to thank you all.

It has been my joy to have served over the last five years.

My service has come to an end.

I just want to thank you all for your support.

I'm not gonna cry this time.

But I also want to champion my work in with the Oakland School District.

Oakland is spending thousands of dollars per incident to clean illegal dumping, and even more when a vehicle is abandoned or set ablaze.

These events occur day after day, often in the same corridors and overwhelmingly in neighborhoods where our children walk to school.

A single dumping cleanup can cost the city from $700 to over $3,200, especially when public works, the Oakland Police Department and the Oakland Fire Department must respond.

By contrast, a high quality 4K all-weather trail camera, including protective housing and cloud storage for one year costs roughly $225 to $300 for the first year and less in subsequent years.

That means preventing just one event one event pays for an entire camera system that monitors that location all year.

And enforcement revenue from fines can sustain the program going forward.

This proposal, one I submitted that was ignored by the city, is not about surveillance.

It's about equity, environmental safety, fiscal responsibility, and protecting our children's daily routes to school.

Trail cameras provide a low-cost, high impact strategy that allows us to finally disrupt chronic dumping hot spots.

I respectfully ask for your partnership and support to launch a targeted pilot at the most impacted school adjacent and community corridors.

This is a solution that pays for itself, honors our residents, and restores dignity to all our neighborhoods.

Thank you.

And thank you for your service.

I want to thank Latanya Simmons for her service.

She was wrongly fired.

So you bring it up about the relationship with OUSD.

Y'all need to go to the meeting tomorrow.

And yeah, thank you.

You do show up at meetings.

Let me tell you something about what's going on tomorrow with OUSD.

One of the meetings they had yesterday with facilities, they in the same situation where they have a low bond rating, and the money that they need.

But OUSC has 20 schools with less than 300 students.

And they don't want to close schools, and that's the problem.

The hard decisions they need to make, they're not making them.

And that includes McLiman's, 278 students, our school enrollment.

They have targeted us, and I'm saying right now, if you don't want to help McClyman's, close it because they continue to ignore what needs to happen.

But anyway, they have a supplemental bus service, like Skyline gets 20 buses every day that we pay for that we don't have to for.

I think seven schools we do this, but they don't talk about how much money it is.

Okay.

Then we have uh our program for our newcomers.

We have 20 administrators for 3,000 students with a newcomer program, but they don't want to do anything about it.

So the problem with the budget is they have the little things they don't want to get rid of.

Instead of putting everything on the table and saying this needs to go, or this needs to.

So we're not going to get anywhere.

You got to close schools.

We have more schools than any other Bay district in the Bay Area.

That concludes all speakers on open forum.

It is 5 40 something, 43.

This meeting is adjourned.