Dr. Marcus Foster Educational Leadership Campus Frequently Asked Questions What is the Dr. Marcus Foster Educational Leadership Campus? This campus will serve as a symbol of educational quality, service and partnership to schools, and community. Dewey Academy will be a school of choice with a 21st Century learning facility, Paul Robeson Auditorium for board meetings, debates, plays, and council meetings, Ethel Moore Health & Fitness Center, and a central leadership building that supports professional learning for educators, parents and the broader community. The Campus will be located at the edge of Lake Merritt on the site of the school district’s former administrative offices at 1025 2nd Avenue and Dewey Academy at 1111 2nd Avenue. nd
Rendering of proposed Dr. Marcus Foster Educational Leadership Campus, as seen from 2 Avenue Why is it being built? OUSD’s central offices were damaged by flood in 2013. Since that time, OUSD’s central staff and services have been scattered across 7 different school site locations throughout Oakland. Unifying the central staff in one building is in accordance with the Asset Management Policy and will offer efficiency for OUSD operations and service to schools and the community. At the same time, the creation of this campus provides an opportunity to provide Dewey Academy an enhanced 21st Century building linked to their academic recreation pathway and Dewey Academy student run café’. What was the process for developing these designs? Over several months, OUSD staff, the Educational Leadership Campus committee, and an architectural team worked with the community to create three conceptual designs using the following steps: § Community Outreach § Community Café’s § Student Informational Sessions § Community Survey § Listening to community priorities through outreach, visioning, and idea collection to develop specific design objectives § Design Charrettes the community used blocks to site plan and design the campus § Creation of Concepts that reflect community and stakeholder values and priorities § Refinement and Recommendations obtain modifications and recommendations for the final 3 concepts for the Board of Education presentation on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 May 17, 2015 Who was involved? The process was overseen by a diverse group of community members, OUSD staff, teachers and students from Dewey and La Escuelita Educational Complex. The final recommendation was informed by engagements with these groups as well as neighbors, Dewey and MetWest students and staff, La Escuelita families, the Superintendent and central office staff. When will the Dr. Marcus Foster Educational Leadership Campus be complete? The Campus is projected to be complete in 2020. The exact timeline will depend on the Board of Education’s approval of the Superintendent’s recommendations and a number of facilities design procedures that must be completed prior to construction. These include: § Establishment of a Construction Committee § Project scoping – determining the detailed features of the project § Design finalizing the elements of the building and grounds § CEQA Process – a state-­‐mandated process that determines environmental impacts, if any, the project will have on the surroundings area and project. § DSA Approvals – The Division of the State’s Architect reviews the designs for all public school facilities in California § Construction How will it be paid for? OUSD is exploring multiple financing options, some traditional, others less so. These include: § Measure J General Obligation Bond § Measure B General Obligation Bond § New Tax Market Credit § Qualified Zone Academy Bond § Developer Assisted Project § General Fund Unrestricted What are the next steps? On May 27, 2015, Superintendent Wilson will make his recommendations to the Board of Directors. With the governing board’s approval the next steps will be to: § Establish a construction committee to begin the process of refining and defining project scope per Board Policy on Community Engagement 7155 for major construction projects § Further develop the designs § Initiate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process § Establish, through deeper study, the best funding sources for financing the project § Provide a progress report to the Board of Education in Fall 2015 How can I learn more? Come to the Regular Board meeting on May 27, 2015,to hear the committee’s presentation to the board and the Superintendent’s recommendations. Submit a comment card to share your thoughts about the project. A complete report about the process, the proposed designs, and the superintendent’s recommendation can be downloaded from OUSD’s website here: http://ousd.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=79027.pdf. May 17, 2015